Smyrna times., 1859-10-06
DiminutiOn of Rain.

The English Registrar General in his last
quarterly report calls attention to the deficiency
In the fall of rain in recent years. The official
returns in Great Britain show that the defci-
ency in the years 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857,
1858, amounted to the average fall of one year
viz: % inches. From careful examination
of the fall of rain (year BY Year, from 1915, it
would seem that the annual fall is becoming
smaller, and that there is but little probability
that the large deficiency will be made up by
excess in future years The English journal
in publishing this statement affirm that the the
ory on which it is based appears highly proba-
! BILE because consistent with many other phe-
nomena. They call upon all persons who have
registers Of rain fall to confirm or disprove this
official report that the quantity of rain which
falls on the earth is very slowly and gradually
diminishing. If the records which have been
kept in many places for number of years con-
firm the statement, it will constitute one of the
most important discoveries made by meteorolo.
gists.
The London Illustrated Neps, in publishing
the above, adds the following:
We must remark that on the uniformity and
stability of the laws of nature instnctively as
sumed and believed rest all knowledge and all
reasoning If it be a fact, therefore, that the
diminishing through a period of forty four
years, the slow and gradual dminutIon of rain
must be considered as general fact-as the
normal condition Of the globe. Ii this be true,
it is gradually, though extremely slow, de-
creasing 10 fluid matter and increasing in solid
matter. Most Of the changes which geology
traces in the crust of the globe have been in
progress for many ages, and, trcm the light
which the gradual dlmlnutlOn OF rain reiiecIs
on many geological phenomena, were In
duced, at starting, to describe 1t as one of The
most momentous discoveries should 1t be CON
frmed, that observation has ever made.
By a series of observations continued for %
years in Central Europe, it appears that the
maximum number of rainy days takes place
between the first quarter and the ne" moon.
The observations made al Vienna confirm the
theory that it rains in Europe more freq emily
during the increase than during the wane of
the moon. Experience teaches that we should
be very cautious about receiving the theories OF
savans in regard to matters of physical science.
Allison, i'll his history Of Europe, makes some
sad bunders in regard to rain IN Egypt winch
have called forth many jokes aud glbes at hIs
expense. A paper was recently read before the
British Association, in which II was argued
from the existence of dried up rivers, that the
earth is approaching waterlrss Condition =
The Artisan, in answer TO the query, q" Is the
Earth Drying up!' observes:
Water, although a very unstable element,
produces quite permanent effects upon the lace
of our globe. 1t cuts down mountains, scoops
out valleys, wears away precl PIces and builds
new lands along the river mouths. ways
seeking level ITSELF it is the greatest leveller
of the dry land. Most of the surface of our
globe, having been elevated by subterranean
violence, has come up in a very rough aud
tumbled condition. The inequalities OF Its sur
face, when newly elevated, favor the collections
of large bodies of water, which, sending out
their streams, like so many strong arms, imme
diately commence the work of smoothing the
surface Of the land, smoothing It's roughness
and bringing it into a condition more favorable
to the operation of man Thus the age OF any
portion of the earlh's surface may in some meas
ure be determined by the character of its
streams, and the general distribution OF water
upon its surface.
In those countries like France and Brazil,
whose rivers are smooth and navigable, no
lakes are found while in thuse IN which they
exist the rivers are full of cataracts aud are
in a great measure unnaVlgable. In the course
of one or two thousand centuries most of the
lakes in our States will be drained, the catar-
acts obliterated, and we shall lose all our water
power. This contingency, however, Is so DIS
tant, that we do not suppose IL will affect the
price of manufacturin the stock during thus
century.