Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-03-18
[Corre.pondtnee ofhe S F. Alta.I

Pacific seaboard as the one which forms the
heading of this article. The capitalist, the
farmer, the miner, the merchant, every fami-
", every individual, down to the compara-
lively helpless and dependent few who rely
for existence on public aid or casual charity;
all in their relative degrees now await in
anxious expectation the solution Of this all
absorbing question SO important to this COM
munity. Fortunately, as has already been
pointed out in the columns OF the ANI,
should we be compelled to witness cont!nu-
ancc of drouth or but slight falls OF rain as
may be of only very partial utility, the facilI-
ties OF communication with the East BY means
of the telegraph, combined with the aid OF
steam navigation, ought to allay all fears re-
specting any extreme scarcity occurring we
have, however, for the last three or four years
been blessed with such an extreme album
dance of almost every description of food de-
sirable from the animal and vegetable king
doms, that even a partial scarcity will be
found by the bulk Of us a source Of great
inconvenience, and some loss: and amongst
our hess fortunate brethren, probably an
amount of deprivation quite unanticipated.
1t is quite right that We ought to be putting
81 our house in order" and preparing for the
worst. Whilst prudently doing so, it is not
necessary, at present, that we should alto
gether despair of relief, and still less so to
give entire heed to the extreme opinions OF
alarmists, whether such are constituti0nally
and conscientiously SO, or only for the occa-
sion and actuated from interested motives.
1t may be recollected, by some, that on the
occurrence of the floods of the season 1851
1862, the writer inserted in several publica-
tions, resume of the genera! laws affecting
climate, with their special application to the
States and Territories in which we are so
deeply concerned. 1t is not the intention Of
the writer ut present TO enter so largely into
the scientific minutie Of clmatology as he
did on that occasion in order, however, TO
make the subject more readily comprehcn-
siye to the ordinary reader, il will be well to
give brief synopsis Of some OF the phcnOmc-
ma BY which climate is regulated, which will
at the same time afford him the means of
more correctly judging how fr the writer is
justified in believing, as he sincerely does,
that-
THERE ARE YET HOPES FOR Us.
In the article on the floods, already alluded
to, it was mentioned incidentally that a t!a-
dition exists amongst the Indians, That
there was one year during which no rain fell
in California" and the writer then gave 1t as
his opinion that possibly such circumstance
might probably occur once during century.
The tradition named does not appear to have
attracted much attention, and perhaps Gb-
tanned little, if any, even passing credit. Inc
tradition alluded to never, in the writer's
mind, was accepted as literally correct, but
only as descriptive Ct such very dry season
as the current one would form, should we be
unfortunately destined to see this season pass
away without any considerable rainfall until
the ensuing fall.
The regions bordering on the equator are
the hottest on the earth, owing to the Sun
being nearest to the zenith; from which, TO
the poles, the temperature diminshes other
things being equal, prOportionaly, as these
points are approached. Owing TO this cir
cumstance, an upper current is found con-
stanty flowing from the equator to the poles,
and lower one from the poles to the equa-
tor the latter becoming heated, asccnds, and
returns toward the eXtremitics (thc pOlcs) OF
the terrestrial axis.
As the diameter Of the parallel circles dl-
miniSh as they recede from the equator, and
as all parts situated in the same meridian
make a complete revolution round the axis
of the earth in twenty-four hours, 1t follows
that they move with velocity much greater
as the points are nearer to the equinGciical
line. In the northern hemisphere, the
upper moisture saturated and heated atmDs-
phere proceeds toward the north, II gets
more and more in advance Of the earth's
rotary motion the combination OF this mo-
ton from the west to the east, combined with
the original direction from south TO NORTH,
occasions a southwest wind. These simple
motions, however, become greatly compIl-
Gated, by variety OF causes almost innu-
| merable, the description Of which would NIL
moderately sized volume, and the principal
Ia H..
merated, viz. that the ascending warm and
moisturc-saturatcd currents of air passing
from the tropical regions to the northern and
southern extra-tropical regions, become not
only condensed BY Gin.inution Of tempcra-
ture, but also more compressed, owing 10
meridianal diminuton, hy calculation and
observation have been found 10 cause the
greater portion of the circulation to descend
to the earth about 80 degrees from the cqua-
tor, causing the trade winds; portion,
however, will continue to flow north and
south, and, in some cases. accompanied By
warmed ascending currents derived from that
and contiguous latitudes.
Mountain ranges and arid plains, such IS
are found affecting the climate of California,
also greatly modify what would otherwise he
constant arform currents. The amount Of
moisture present in the atmosphere is an
other element of importance; but the matter
which perhaps more particularly interests us
in California at the present crisis is the pos
sible change which may take place in the
direction Of the wind, owing to the passage
of the sun from the southern into the north
ern tropic. Whilst it is possible that the
vcrnal equinox, now close at hand, may not
be followed by any immediate cOpious dcpo-
sitiOn Of moisture, it is more than probable
that the long continued northern and west
ern winds will, il not during the Csrent
month be changed, will be so during the
month of April and May into southerly ones,
which will bring us up warm, cOpious and
fructifying showers, which, il too late or i'll
sufficient to ensure plentiful crops OF hay,
will probably be adequate 10 the wants Of
pasture lands, and sufficiently so to cause the
crops of cereal grains now growing To be
luxuriantly abundant. Appearances favor
the view that during the present month we
may be blessed with refreshing showers If
this should prove to be the case, we may
with some confidence look forward to con-
tinued abundance Of all the chief agricui-
tural products which compose the nccesss-
ries OF man and domestic animals, not cX-
cluding even hay; the latter may, however,
become problematc should the prc-suppOset
showers not be adequately deposited uhtIi
five or six weeks hence.
w ItHlH luS last 'OitH'St' ''f' '' =,
over some of the dryest soils in Santa Clara
county, and although the blade Of the cereals
was stunted, the plant was healthy in all cases
except on some very stiff adobe soils. Oithe
nine seasons which the writer has persona!
experience in California, very heavy rains
have occurred during three Of them in the
month Of April; the same remark applies to
copious rains, too, in May, and he has been
informed BY one who ought to know the facts
that, prior to the American occupation, the
month of MAY has not unfrequenty been
about the wettest during the year. Such Il
circumstance is explicable from natural caus-
es; credence may therefore be accorded to
the statement, and may justly be allowed to
strengthen our hopes. We must, however,
not forget that VIC are placed between very