The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-11-04
Hasiand AasaG sAs IAaa1s q shs Fseeas
anA En1lna 0ceanas


Hasiand Ansus eAs I1anfs q shs Psce11
anA Lila. Oceans.
A cable despatch which we print fAls morn
Ing informs ~ that tho esnveaticn for the ssle
Of the Dutch settisuents In Sumatrs and on
the coasts Of 0vlnea has been signed BY tho
representatives Of the Dutch and English gov
srnments. Any one who will glance ct the
map will see at once that Great Britain has
special reasons for desiring the possession OF
these islands. The cable despatch does not
say New Guinea, but We know that for some
time past negotiations have been pending In
regard to the cession Of New Guinea to the
British government; and We take 1t that 1t Is
New Guinea, not Guinea on the African coast,
which Is meant To tho British government
tho islands Of Sumatra and New Guinea are
in themselves considered Of but little value;
but the British empire In India, on tho one
hand, and the growing British empire in Aus
tralia, on the other, make 1t an impera-
tive necessity that no great Power shall
find foothold In any Of these numerous
islands that stud the ocean from the northern
coasts OF Australia to the Malayan archipelago.
1t would be serious affair II Germany or
Russia or the United States got hold Of any Of
these islands. So long as the Dutch were
their only rivals in these equatorial regions
England could afford to be Indifferent; but
now that Germany wants to buy colonial
ground England is not unwise 10 be prompt
and active. In spite Of all the changes Of
these eventfdl times old England ID not yet
prepared to give up the empire Of the seas.
Why should not the old flag feat9 After our
own what flag so fully and so fairly represents
liberty and civilizationp
Tho Espy Theory OF Ar,iacial Rain Tested
In tho Northwest.
The enormous combustion In the vast hres
Of the Northwest has reopsned the discussion
Of grave physical and economic problem.
Many years ago Professor Espy advanced
the hypothesis that, in dry and rainless sea-
sons, the Responding farmer might produce
artificial rain for his whitening and blighted
crops BY kindling large Hres and confagra-
lions. He urged that it was better for the
community Of suffering agriculturists to burn
portions Of their woodland than to see the
supply Of bread cut of and the whole soil
scorched to death. When the distinguished
meteorological had published bis views many
admiring friends Of this gentleman in the rural
districts took the pains to collate and forward
to him reliable data corroborative Of his
theory, and It Is impossible to read 1.-THE Of
them without being convinced that, under Ger
tain favorable circumstances, such as calm
atmosphere and . high dew-point, rain Is
induced by the artificial combustion, oven on
. very limited scale. In numerous instances
copious showers. restricted, however, to very
small areas, fell over and around the region
of failow or wood burning, to the great relief
Of tho soil.
If there ever was an opportunity for testing
the Espy theory on grand scale It has been
afforded in the Late widespreading forest fires
of the Northwest aad in tho awful oonfagra-
ton of Chicago. No such artificial burning was
ever known, and 1t would SOON that II the hype-
thesis in question were correct, ~ practically
extended to large districts, Is Mr.. Espy pro-
posed to extend 1t, the flames which since
August have been ravaying the States Of Min
nesota, Wisconsin and Michigan should have
caused seas Of rain, and should have proved
self-extinguishing many weeks ago. Such, we
know, has not been the case.
Tho theory proceeded upon the supposition
that the artificial heat, by causing an ascend
ing current of air and . centre of rarefaction,
would induce the thrush Of air from all sides.
which would also ascend. be cooled, and thus
precipitate its moisture. 1t is highly question:
Northwest bear out the reasoning, and there
ID much reason for believing that Professor
Espy's generalization was deduced from an in
sufficient number of details, and left out Some
essential ounter-consideratons.
The great movements of the atmosphere are
produced by fluctuations in the aerial ocean,
extending for hundreds and even thousands Of
miles, any ono Of which is an agency 80 grand
and potential that when compared with It even
the fires Of the Northwest sink into insiynifi-
canoe. It Is no uncommon thing, as daily at
tested BY the Washington weather reports, to
see barometrlo hollow or depression in the
Gulf Of Mexico exert Ito drawing influence
from New Orleans to the Upper Mississippi
Valley In few hours, or to see one on Lake
Michigan induce veering Of the winds on tho
Atlantic coast and causing them to blow to-
wards the Lakes. A phenomenon Of such
magnitude has not once been approached in
the late forest confagration. Meteorologists
have shown that in rain which should give
fall ofon inch for State as largo as South
Carolina or as large as Ireland, the volume Of
latent heat set free In the clouds would exceed
that evolved by the combustion Of three hum
dred and fifty million tons Of the best COAL
more than four times the entire yield Of all the