The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-03-08
THE DAILY UNION

face tsmpersurs wide The lines
such places the surface the globe as have the same mean
temperature and IL will be perceived by inspecting the I'VE
charts Of this volume their course il far from being 50
straight as the lines bounding the spaces gd
and torrd zones represented in old maps would lead
TO believe The Anticipated notion therefore, that tempera
nre Is the same at all places the latitude be
abandoned We're the globe smooth sphere aud Of homo
materials, and varying external
mospheric influence IL might be true the existence Of
water and land OF mountains, valleys, deserts paeas Of
oceans and ocean currents rivers lakes and the known
prevalence OF certain Winds all combined with radaDg
rejecting surfaces produce very mixed problem and
suit in remarkable Infections Of the isotherma curves
When Humboldt wrote bis essay sotherma lines
dicult TO obtain reliable data from which no could con
uuot hs lines Tor all the eastern parts of this country but
there little else bat conjecture guide bis hand In
tracing them the part OF this continent lying west of the
Mississippi river and he earnestly called for more oberva
uons IL also noticeable that all the European who
successfully wrote upon this topic echoed his cry again and
AGAIN But II will DO remembered that except the
United States military stations there was no means of OBJ
tanning them The Russians in the North the Brit
ish and American Fur Companies the Columbia sent in
lew observations and the Mexicans below them in California
furnished nome The European publications therefore,
very meagre this subeet at sitka
were made of by them and Others Vancouver
were employed by Dr. Forty in the Of his Iso
thermal Chart In 1874, (see Sllimans journal vol AZ and
Prof. Epys report shows nothing beyond the valley the
Mississippi When, however, the tide of emigration was
directed to Oregon, and FRI mont Emory, Gregg Wsze-
nus and others had visited that country with means for
making instrumental observations and the protection of
American interests required the extension mill
y stations, the for information began to acou
muate But apart from the here named
it is exceedingly difficult to obtain observations from those
distant and recently settled places All the exeron
by the Smithsonian Institution from lsI9 this have
resulted In giving IL but three observers in California
two Of whom are in San Francisco and in Sacramen-
to. tSee annual report to Congress for ls5l) During
the last five years, however, the country has been gar
rsoned at numerous points by military posts by Of
which the only certainly the richest collection Of these
has accommodating in the medical army.
is credtab to the army to be able present this agn
cent Offering to the world of science and 1t will be
onably received and appreciated SUCH The rich Of
data enabled the bureau to accomplish what Humboldt
earnestly has longed to doexend the of temperature
westward until they be lost in tho Pacific ocean.
The curves, upon inspection show unexpected amount
of nsxon but it is vident that If they had been
follow the surface closely the rankness Of the curvature
would have been much greater. They have been drawn
however, they bridged the valleys and truncaed
mountain ranges and mider character than they
had swept the clad SUBMITS and Owed into the
deepest depressions still further generalization may be
made of them by such DESTROYS of studying phys
cal condition Of the globe relative to temperature Had
whole series Of lines been drawn according reduction
temperature to level Of mid des phass
subject which is not compatible with the practical which
must be made Of the matters in this voumewe are not
certain but this latter construction Of the atmospheric
Of temperature would bring them conflict with those
representing the position Of the inrarabe and 80
introduce complexity Of questions sufficient occupy
whole concave Of physicists For the reason we
bear to further notice this part of the subject. s.t
Oar remarks have become voumnous aud dscursve on
Of the Volume that the remainder Astounding the
most entertaining matters must necessarily be passed over
without consider alton.