, 1875-02-13

4Cso iblI' LII Antigua OlllS mao De6n the
case to a distressing degree. In America,
owing to the extensive clearing of the
forests, the climate had much changed,
and it had been found necessary to pass a
similar act to the one he now proposed.
With regard to our island, as he had alrea-
dy said, he believed all would allow that
the want of moisture was our greatest
drawback. Our gullies are water-courSes,
and they show that torrents of water once
passed over the surface of the island when
lt was covered with primeval forests. But
now that the woods had been cut down,
and the whole surface was denuded of
trees, we suffered from constant droughts.
lie believed that the salvation of the island
depended on a sufficient supply of water.
With moisture and manure our soil would
give a return to satisfy our most sanguine
expectations. Mountains were the great
refrlgIrators and producers of rain in most
countries, but we had none here, and must
chiefly depend on trees to attract and con-
dense the passing clouds. Trees cooled
the atmosphere partly by absorbing the
light and partly by their shade. They also
acted upon the atmosphere in another way
by the electricity of the thunderstorm,
which is a regen orator of moisture. II
was for these reasons desirable to encour-
age the cultivation of trees. He thought
a large part Of our coast lands, especially
our Winjward and Scotland coasts might
be prolitably planted in woods, also some
OF our gul!ies and bare hill sides. He had
often heard it said that since the woods on
Walkers and Jackets had been cut down,
that part Of the country had been much
subj ct to dry weather. It used to be said
that a wet year was Il curse to Scotland
aud that it did best in dry years but it
had become rather too dry now. Only o n
Saturday last he heard an old St. Phiipp
planter say that since the woods had bee
cut down to the southeast of the parish,
there had been much less rain in that dis
trict. He thought he had now sufficient
to show the house the Importance of trees
in producing rain, and the necessity of en-
c0uraglng the planting of them in this ISL
and if our prosperity was to be maintained.
lIo would only remark in conclusion, that
the bill was permissiye, not compulsory.
This was objected to by some honorable
members, but all he could say was that it
had been framed in accordance with the
American Act, to which he had previous
ly alluded. He now begged to move the
second reading.
Mr.. Jones, in secondiDg the motion,
~said-Sir,-I have much pleasure in second
ing the bill which has been introduced by
the senior member for st. Michael. The
only question.in my mind is, whether it
would not be better to make it compulsory.
The honorable member has referred to
countries in which the climate has been
changed by reason of large tracts of land
being denuded of trees. He has also re-
ferred to Egypt, telling us that in parts of
it, in consequence ofthe planting of trees,
with a view of providing timber for the
building of ships, rain now falls where
formerly the inhabitants were subjected to
all the Inconvenience of drought. 1t does
seem strange, sir, that in the nineteenth
century there should be any doubt as to
the strict government of nature by fixed
and invariabIe law. All nature, sir, is thus
governed, and if | had known that this bill
would have come on for discussion to-day,
| would have brought with me a book l
am now reading, Dr.. Carpenter on Mental
Physiology, in which the Doctor quotes
a passage from the works Of the late DR..
Chalmers. Now the Christian World con-
siders DR.. Chalmers to have been an ortho-
5Ov briofion Ar anv ratio ha novo cuh-