New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-22
AMERICAN CLIMATOLOGY.

AMERICAN CLIMaTOLOGH.
Two important and expensive contributions to
meteorological knowledge-the Army MeteOrolcg-
ical Register from 15i3 to 1854 inclusive
I (auarto), and Physics of the North American
Climate-Distributio Of Heat and Rain
dong folio) have just been issued at Wash
ineton from the Government press. "by authority
80 of the Hon. Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War"
How so eminent and devoted a stckler for the
RESOLUTIONS of 9s' aud all that sort of thing can
find warrant for the lavish appropriation Of the
public funds TO q subject which the Constitution
is so profoundly silent as on MeteoroOgy we can
not pretend TO guess The 'vagrant power OF
authorizing and prosecuting scientific researches at
the Federal expense must certainly be discovered
under that detested general welfare" provision II
anywhere; but zee have no difficulty in the prem
| iees. and will not aggrayate any which may beset
| the Honorable Secretary Of War. In our humble
Judgment there is little money taken from the
| Treasury to better purpose always provided II be
iudiciously and economically expended, than that
which is appropriated to extend the peaceful
d, main of science and increase the sum OF useful
knowledge.
The Office of Surgeon-Ceneral in our Army was
created in 1913, under Mr.. CahOun's administra
ton of tine War Department, and while that
| eminent statesman adhered to the broadly National
| views Of his early prime, before mischance and
disappointment had soured him into the mere
! tsrolnan be afterward became. The first Sur
geon.General (Joseph LOvelD iIdmeu;;::.."'v drew
up. aud Mr.. Calhoun approved, schedule OF iu-
structiOns for tho at the several Military
| Posts Of the Army, wherein each was required to
keep diary Of the weather, and to note every
thing Of importance relating to the medical topo.
"eraphy of his station the climate diseases preva-
lent in the vicinity and the like and transmit it
quarterly to the SurgeOn-Generals office, in Wash
ingtCn. Such was the origin of the system Of con-
certed and widespread meteorological observations
which the War Department has ever since main
| toined, and which several States have since imi-
| tated. The Smithsonian Institution entered the
| field in 1919; and the National Agricultural So
cety, at its late meeting in Washington, resolved,
after spirited discussion. 10 memorialize Congress
in favor Of complete system of meteorological OBJ
ser,GtOns at the public cost to cover all portions OF
the country, whether containing military posts or
not and to BE- prosecuted with intelligence liber
atty, and ygor Mar land farmer stated during
this discussion that be had for some time been able
in the main to provide against injury from tempests
BY watching the telegraphic reports of storms
mencing or prevailing in other parts Of the cOun-
try-But let US return 10 the costly volumes be.
fore us.
The Meteorological Register appears to have
been compiled from the local reports by Richard
H. Coolidge, Assistant Surgeon; the Physics"
is made up Of FIVE IsOtherlnal and Hyetal or Rain
Charts, the former neatly colored and ell exhibit
ing distinctly, and we presume with substantial
accuracy, the distribution of heat and rain in the
several seasons and in the aggregate, over the whole
surface of the United States and the Territories.
These Charts were designed and preparedu under the
supervision of Surgeon-General Lawson, by Mr..
Lorn BlOdget, late of the Smithsonian Institution,
by whose aid we are enabled to deduce from them
the following general conclusions:
Hitherto, there have been many isolated facts
determined and made public, but no very reliable
bases for general conclusions with regard to Amer.
lean climatology. Observations taken at q single
post, or for few Years only, 20 but little way
tO"dru SETTING tEc average temperature Or aver
age rainfall of the district in which they are
taken. Only through the comparison and dige.-
tOn Of great mass Of observations, taken through
Il series Of years and at great number of dversely
situated localities can safe conclusions be decided
ly attained. The Military posts of the United
States represent all the districts and nearly all the
climates of our country The observations there
officially taken are uniform in method, while they
generally embrace periods adequate for all pur-
poses of comparison, AID sufficient to show how
many years are required to give true averages
or fixed mean results. From these statistics, as
given IN the summary tables and from the illus
tratiOn charts representing The distribution Of heat
and Of rain the following resume of leading results
is derived:
The temperatures Of the United States are
marked by much wider ranges than those of
Europe, and-except on the Pacific Coast which
has European charscteristics-they are semi-trop
cal in Summer. Plants which mature in tropical
regions, and which require the Summer only for
their growth. flourish Abundantly in the Southern
States and the Mississippi Valley, and our chiefeI.
ports are made up of them The sothermal line of
so for the Summer embraces s the Gulf States,
while il does not touch Europe at all except per-
bags sicily though it generally skirts the African