Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-04-11
9ailg AppeaI.


being the highway Of commerce between ma
tons Il has vast and various currents
mighty rivers, whose banks never overflow.
HE gulf stream, emerging from the Gulf Of
Mexico az a well-defned river OF warm water,
and flowing between banks Of cold water. il
the best known Of these currents. It's high
Temperature renders alike sslubrious the shores
Of Sicily and Of France, and mitigatss the se-
verify Of the northern winter.
Our earth is surrounded By an aerial ocean
which we cali ''the atmosphere p and this at
1osphere, like the ocean, has its various cur
rents and aerial rivers, constantly flowing and
rehoEing from the equator to the poles and
from the poles to the equator. This continual
mingling Of the various elements OF our at
mOsphsre serves to equsiize its influence iz
different parts Of our planet. The carkoniC
acid which we sKhale in our breathing, when
thrown of into The atmosphere, may feed the
vegetation in another quarter Of the globe
and the oxygen which we inhale may have
been thrown of BY sebanon's majestic cedsrs
or the "spicy groves OF Arsby the blest.''
Such is the importance OF those currents in
this "Hpper ocean" that they demand portion
Of attention.
Wind is air in motion. Any disturbance
whatever, even the slightest, thal breaks ghe
equilibrium Of this aerial ocean, causes wind.
Heat is the principal cause Of disturbance,
and TIE vertical direction Of the SUMS rays at
the equator, heats and rsrifes the air 10 that
region, and when thus affected, its specific
gravity becomes less than the air not so heated,
and consequently lighter.
This light air ascends and becomes denser
on reaching the cold regions Of the atmos-
phere, tarns of toward The poles, while the
colder and denser air about the poles sweeps
along the surfaee to he equator to supply the
partial vacuum thus caused
The direction OF these currents may be dem
onstrsted By very simple experiment; Place
a lighted taper in a doorway communicating
between a warn room and cold one. When
the taper is placed at the bottom Of the dsor-
way, the flame will be turned towards the
warn room, but If raised to the top the hare
viii be reversed, fhus showing the direction Of
the current az the top and at the bottom. This
iE miniature OF what is going on in nature on
grand and extensive scale. As when two
counties are lying adjacent TO each other, il
the surface OF one Of them becomes, froJ1 any
cause whatever, more heated than the other,
the air over he surface so heated, ascends,
and The air over the colder surface rushes In to
supply it place.
The velocity OF wind depends on the rspidity
know from experience that wind moves with
different degrees Of spsed-sometimes We see
the thistle-down gently waited before it, or
scarcely borne on its pinions, and then we.saY
enot breath Of air is stirring = and again Il
sometimes comes as She gentle breeze and
kisses our cheek like the "sweet South wind
that has bresthed upon a bank Of violcts, steal
ing and giving od0r,o or it cones in the
tornsdo's form, like the mighty avalanche,
making the most majestic works OF man It's
playthings. It's velocity varies from one mile
per hour being scarcely perCep-ible and hardly
bending the tiniest flower, 10 that Of one bun
dred miles per hour, which prostrates the giant
oak and leaves ruin in its path-and when
moving with such velocity IL strikes an op-
posing surface with force equal 10 about
fifty pounds on the square folt.
The currents IN the upper regions OF the At
m1sphsre are as various and violent as those
that sweep over the surface. ''Ihe elevation
Of three and a half miles may be called the line
Of repose Of the atmosphere, being calm
space Intervening between t~o regions liable
10 storms, and having currents Of air flowing
in different directions on each side OF it, 80
that il air move from North TO South below, its
place is filed agsin bv a commencement nov
ing from South 10 North above this line, SO
that perpetual interchange is kept up"
In the year 1879, an aeronsut who sscended
from Liverpool to the hight Of 1900 feet, en-
the rate Of FIVE miles per hour, and on de-
scending to the altitude Of 1900 feet, be met
with a contrary current that moved with We
Iocity Of eighty miles per hour; and on one
occasion be asserts that bic balloon was car
ried over a space Of uinety-ssven miles in hfty-
eight minutes. Numerous instances are known
Of currents blowing above the trade-winds,
and in an opposite direction, which may be
readily shown BY the fact that ashes Of volca-
noes are often carried hundreds Of miles IN
directica opposite 10 that in which the current
il, at the same time, blowing at the surface.
The most important currents in our atmos-
phere are the tTade-Winds- These are caused
a. follows: objects on the earth's surface az the
equator move at the rate Of about one thOus-
and miles per hour As we approach either
pole, we also approach the center Of motion,
and consequently the velocity diminishes. At
the latitads of siTtY degrees It Is only about
one half and at the istitude OF eighty-tbrse
degrees, oniV about 0ne-eightn OF what 1t is 81
the equator and hence, wind blowing from
the polar region towards the equin0cual cline
is constantly passing into regions where all
terrestrial objects have a greater easterly mo-
ton than it las itself; those objects will
therefore, move against il, and, as they are
ap1areaflu stationary, this wind viii thus ac-
ouire a rslitive essterly molten From this
we see that the polar wind In the northern
hemisphere is Influenced BY two forces, and, 10
aGrurua nee WIN Lale laws Nl AADLA4lf A-n AAA1N-
ton will be the resultant Of this compound
motion. which direction is from north east 10
southwest and for similar reasons the trade
current in the southern hemisphere passes frsm
south-esst 10 northwest. 1hese currents are
Of the greatest advantage TO commerce-so
great that from their very importance they are
called Htrade- winds" And such is the benett
derived from them, that the adventurous mari-
ner who narigstes those seas that are within
their influence, glides before them sometimes
for weeks without once changing bis sails, but
po.s on steadily, beariag the rich products OF
fhs tropics TO every quarter Of the globe. In
caiculsble indeed are its benefits to the merch-
ant and the sailor. The tropical regions TEEN
with the most luKuriant vegetation; the sea
and the wind afford facilities for transporting
them to every shore, to minister to tie wants
and to The luxury Of man.
"rhs ssaisa 3orial oamrsde, be lsughs whers'er be
His msrrimsns shines in the dilHplins lines tiat
,,v. shS 5i,sil 6a-a q be feet Of the sun and
Az a. broad sasfsl 5i.ovl faI faint on The sAore,
10 he mirth q nc mighty ses-
Bvt he vrsnd s SD tns restless,
And oursef with an inward pain
You nav hark a. you vili, bl VALLEY or hllis
Bot yqu hear hirz s.ll cenplEtn-
Hew.Iis on ths barren mouH.ainsi
f-a shrists the wiutrT seai
FTs - ln The osdsr ani means IN the pine,
tnd shuddsrs all over The aspen tree-
Tbr rsgularitv Of lhs trade winds is inter-
,,,Dfsd o0Iv bT The monsoons- These are
q astesdv eurreu's six months In duration, oW-
ing 10 diminished atmospheric pressure al eacn
tropic, alternately, frsm the heat OF the sun,
thereby producing regular aiIeInellon 2, OF o.
North sod South wind, which, combining tneir
-,ofiop With that Of the earth on lie axis be-
-or,sa > northeast wind 10 the northern hemis-
,,bere. and 2 southwest wind in the southern
berisuhsreD As the sun advances 70 eit1ef
fronie. fhe zone Of greatest rarefaetlon Ieeeaes
fron tie equator, and, 10 eonseq quepee' Ins reg
ulsritv OF The trade wi1d is bTeken-
Wben the sun approaches the northern trop-
4. for instance. ihe bot current tnat OeIore
sSrende,i ron The vicinity Of the equator, no"
..eeras from the tropic Of cancer and the
t-sds current shifts noTtbWard 20 that uoPie
- h.cor,es the north east monsoon, ana tle
ssr,e natural law is followed IN toe southeIh
bemiFphere There are none OF tnese S,li -. -
TAT have been mentioned reguiaI' az OeiNs
euhiect 10 disturbances ron ioCtl OS 60
Ti5ese monsoons do not occur ~ an tne eeah-
- ,-jfbfo ne tropics at the same time, be-
- Governed bv the progress o. the saR 20
-vsrd either trOFie, in some places maAlls :
stg.-.nes in it, northern tour Of more than
month. for ten degress - "a.
uT5fbiD the topics tbe oppressiyeness OF 70 T
-,rnss ravs IL somewhat miigslsd oy sue lal1 l.
- as hrnrTea. Auoae oreAslN. rs
- 80 n the torrid zone, which Wouie OPP
erwiss Be uninbsbtabis, are rendered % sei11sr. -.
our and delightful By those oIsezss - ,bs and
s,'.5 Nv ne unequal temperature o. tne iaiiu
90 S,9a 80 Durng the day the surface o. the y,
80 bscomes much hotter than inat o. ~ ~
80, and as consequence TIE az oeeI ~. ~
80 = hotter than thst over TIE W1Isl .li' -
bo1 - Iit air sseends and tse ar over .ne a. ~
s..s5t oessp flows 10 to supply its pi4es' 60 ~.
49, vrs,sf Is called The sea breeze. - 49, y
-osSrv approaches the process e IeseIss 81,
80 re IN begins to sink 10 ne Mss.'l -,
49, srd casts bis rays less aleSsy % .,.S -
..,.b n Eseins 10 cool Of, and eooilhs -.e-
81. ss rsri5iy than the ocean, t9e cen oe5ss a., 81
ID, ,bs land aows out 70 mingls Wiz Wiz 'as' .S'
o-sr 80 tbs water, and causes what u e1iisu 'D'
land breeze. -. oe countries
-, vv5ieb they dow-tbey are molsL 2. ol5 ~
sss.,.g or Oppressive. Ine Pols1uo5-t = ~,
bisst Of the simoom, as oeseIiose " -,
s,s "a certain death TO ne snloisoH''I s..aes h
..i.- AssIs : Who comes within its iniaenIs aS-i,,
tIsvslS ,i. os tbs deserts Ct Asia ana Ailss
p.H. pLess,'. h derived from the Arabic Noss Al
4 NJ" nnINUIOAHs