Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1860-01-12
familp Girtle.
The Deserts of the Earth and their
Causes.


Causes.
There are three great Deserts on the
Globe. besides many minor ones. Their
cause is eternal; it is want of rain.
From the creation of the world until
now, no rain has ever fallen, no dew
moistened their surface, nor ever will till
the latest hour of time. All vegetation
is dependent on the winds. which blow
laden with moisture from the ocean, seas
or great lakes. Wherever lies tract
of country inaccessible to such winds, no
rain falls, and there must necessarily be
desert. If the ground is the nature of
clay, 1t becomes to the consistency of
burnt bricks; if of sandy nature, it is
loosened by the winds, and blows into
vast heaps and mountains. only to be shift
ted again by the next change of wind.
When traveller is once on desert, all
sounds of life and nature cease: no stir
of busy population, no lowing Of herds.
nor the song of bird; no murmur of
brooks; not even the chirp of an insect,
nor the blessed sound of falling rain-no
verdure relieves the dreariness Of the
scene; no green trees, grass or flowers,
break the lonely prospect. A profound.
a dead silence reigns in desert. A thin
haze floats over the sands in which the
thirsty traveller sees lakes of water, run
ring streams, and bubbling fountains:
but on his approach they float away, and
beyond he sees vast hanging woods,
shady bowers and beautiful groves. But
while congratula ting himself on cool
retreat from the heat of the sun, they too
fade.away, and vast ragged mountains
raise before him. But they also disap
pear, and the traveller is still on the sands
Of the desert.
The Great African, or Desert of Saba
rah is the largest On the globe; it is sit,
uated between the 18th and 30th degrees
of north latitude, and is 5000 miles long.
by 1000 miles wide; it is caused by the
trade winds, blowing continually. to the
west, and carrying away the moisture of
the Atlantic Ocean from its western side;
while the moisture acquired by these
winds in crossing the Red Sea is evapora-
ted or rained out. in passing over Nubia
and Egypt before reaching its eastern
border; therefore it being inaccessible to
any winds directly from the ocean, no
rain falls from the beginning of one cen
fury to another, and the earth being of a
sandy nature, it is continually shifted by
the winds and rolled in great pillows
like the waves of the sea. 1t is needless
to say it is perfectly uninhabitable by
man or beast, as the highest house ever
built would be buried under the moving
sands in less than one hour.
From the day the earth was set in mo
ton, and the trade winds blew, it has
been the sepulchre of nature; until the
earth loses its daily motion it must al.
ways remain SO.
The Great American Desert is situated
between the 34th and 42d degrees of
north latitude; it is on the east side of
the Rocky or Cordilleras range of noun
tains; it is perfectly barren waste, the
ground in many places being almost as
hard as a stone. No water is to be found,
and it is entirely destitute Of vegetation
of any kind; huge rocks are scattered
over its surface in all directions, and
more dreary place is not to be found. 1t
lis caused by the rain laden winds, which
come up from the Gulf of Mexico, becom.
ing exhausted before reaching it on the
east, and on the west the high mountains
condense the moisture contained in the
winds. which arose from the Pacific
Ocean, which descending in rain fertiize
California and Oregon on the west side
of the noun aims, but leave the winds,
after passing these mountains, too dry to
ever bring rain on the eastern side,
therefore, being cut off from the Ocean
winds, DO rain ever falls in the American
Desert, and never will, until the whole
system Of nature is changed.
The Desert of Cobb, in Asia, is another
great barren. The vast height of the
Hmalayas interpose between it and the
Indian Ocean, and the storm winds which
are borne on the south simoons, are dash
ed against the sides of these mighty
mountains. where the GOODNESS of the at.
mosphere, rapidly coudensing On the
south side region of perpetual storm.
and on the north region of continued
drought. Thus while the Himalayas cut
off the south winds. and continue to form
this great Desert. the oceans ON the north
and east are too Far removed for any rain
to be brought from them; therefore, the
reason Cobb is Desert, and so it must
always remain until the great eternal
laws of Nature cease to operate. From
these facts it is apparent that was it not
for the ocean, with its vegetable life Civ.
ing winds, the whole earth would be
desert, on which no living creature could
exist.