, 1872-09-05
Changes of Climate.

Recent upheavals in circumpolar lands
are corroberated, in the opinion of Mr..
Howorth, in Mature, by many evidences
of change in climate. An increase of
land at the poles, at the expense of the
water, will tend to intensity the extremes
of temperature in winter and summer,
thus making the climate much more less
constant and much more severe.
At the present time the name of Green
land IS little less than satire on the
country. But we have already referred
to Mr.. Whymper's collections of fossil
leaves and fruits from the neighborhood
of Disco Island, which indicate a vege-
tation of southern character and luxuri-
ance for this land above the 7th parallel
of latitude in former times. In later
times evidence of emigration on the
part of Esquimaux from north to south
is found in the fact that they were not
known as inhabitants of Greenland to
the Saga writers; and also in the fact
hat North American Indians, along
their frontier, have uniform tradition
that the Esquimaux we're formerly not
neighbors of theirs, but that they came
across the sea from islands beyond
Moreover, the Esquimaux of both shores
of Behring's Straits have been constant
ly drifting southwark, are only recent
occupants of their present areas.
Iceland is well known to have become
harsh and utenable in its climate since
the days Of Norsemen. Ancient Ice
landic documents show that on the ar
rival of the Norwegians, and for centu-
ries afterwards. extensive forests grew
i'll different parts of the island, and fur
nished the inhabitants with wood both
for domestic and nautical purposes
Now these have either wholly disappear
ed or have dwindled down to mere un-
derwood of birch, willow and mountain
ash. Grain, too, was once largely rais-
ed there. Now the climate is too severe
for the growth of any sort of grain.
The old Morse word for barley still
fingers in names in Norway where bar
ley grows no longer. In Scotland many
places show signs of the plow for cereal
culture where arabic farming is unprac-
ticed at the present time. Evenin Eng
land, as far south as Lancashire, large
districts that were once covered with
forests are now entirely bare Of trees,
because trees cannot be made to grow
there. "The Romans planted vine
yards and made wine in parts of Eng
land where the vine will now hardly
grow" Beyond the Dwina of North
ern Russia there is large area formerly
known as Biarmia, studded with the
graves and other remains of prosper
GUS people, whose wealth and ciyiliza-
ton are much dwelt upon by the Saga
writer's. Others found there these agri-
cultural inhabitants, with their titled
fields. Subsequently they moved west
ward and southwark into Finland.
In Siberia Hedenstrom found on the
tundra among steep banks of lakes and
rivers large birch trees, complete with
bark, branches and roots, apparently
perfectly preserved, yet so thoroughly
decayed that on being lighted they
would glow, but never burst into flame.
The first living birch trees appear now
quite three degrees to the south, and
then only as shrubs. In cliff beyond
the Malaija Kurspataschnaja river birch
roots were seen as fresh as if only Just
torn from the trees, while the nearest
woods are seventy miles away. The
limit of trees, therefore, in this country,
in quite recent times. has been pushed
far to the south, without doubt, by in
creased severity of climate.