The Grange advance., 1874-08-05
Hot Winds of. AuStraliu.

IA :OO1A POu0cuL VI luc dLtU IULL-
forz1o gives graphic account Of the
hot winds of Australia. 1t makes one
gasp for breath to read it. He says:
''The colonists. of Victoria and New
South Wales boast of the great beauty
of their climate. A description of the
hot winds, which are 50 boisterously
prevalent there during short periods of
the summer months, aud which are very
extraordinary in their character and
effects, will help to- show how far the
boast is justified. A misty smoke dark
ems the atmosphere, which feels so op-
pressively hot as. to render breathing
at once laborious and painful. One sun
shines with. a lurid glare far hotter
than when; in open brilliancy, and
presenting, to the eye the appear
ance of a full moon behind heecy
cloud. Dogs crawl along with their
parched: tongues dangling almost to the
ground, and horses move on with droop-
ing heads and convulsive gasps. All
kinds Of fvegetation first hang their ten
drills, then shrivel up, and finally yield
to premature decay. And as the burn
ing sirroco. increases apace, and thick
clouds Of dust dessicate the air, animal
and. vegetable life would seem to be
threatened with total destruction. Cat
tie Of every description often succumb
to oincalescent exhaustion and die by the
road side; fields of grain, which in the
morning were fresh and green, become,
before evening, yellow as with the ripe
ness of maturity, but in reality, stunt
ed and. singed by the fiery influences
prevailing; trees yielding their sap to
the slakeless temperature, rapidly in
cinerate and cast of their but recently
luscious fruit, and flowers pass through
all the gradations Of growth and devel-
opment-form into bud, open into
bloom, and drop their leaves in the:
cauldron around, in less than a day..
All nature, in fact, would appear for
the time to be trying experiments in.
thermology, totally Indifferent about
health and life. The ingeous elements,
so wildly careering, suggest nothing,
but encircling volcanoes pouring forth
and scattering around their burning;
lava, reduced to scintillant powder.
$SIt is scourge of the most destrnc--
| tive character. Outdoor business life
is virtually suspended, and the few peo-.
pie moving about are every moment
employed in wiping of the profuse
dusty perspiration that streams down
their faces. Cafes and hotels swarm
like bee-hives with langaid, thirstymen.
and the numerous iced beverages drank
would astonish the most credulous.. So
hour after hour passes, the heat in
creases in intensity, and thirst becom-
ing more universal and insatiable..
''1n-door life is alone endurahle and
rooms SO carefully deprived of air and
light as to give them in any other
weather high fea1er temperature, are
now comparatively cold. The external
aspect of houses is sombre and funeral,
every shutter aad door being closed.
and the occupants lounge. gasp, and
sigh most piteorsly. Reading is out of
the question, music is forsaken, and ac-
tive amusement blank. Gentlemen
smoke, swallov:ices, and yawn. Bathing
is the only thing enjoyable,> and anphib
iousness becomes almost . human attri-
butte. While these terrible hot winds
prevail, entire crops are sometimes de-
stroyed, hcmesteads buznt,. and many
lives lost. Fortunately they do not last
more than two or three days at time,
otherwisa,life and property would be 50
insecure as, to render living an invest
ment i'm the; Colonies undesirable in the
extreIaas'