Year: 1874

AT the recent Philadelphia meeting Of the
Academy of Science an interesting paper was
read on the cause of our sudden and extreme
cold, which has long been matter Of inquiry
among scientific men. The conclusion ar
rived at by the eminent author Of the paper
was that the rapid transitions from heat to
cold are not occasioned by the horizontal
sweep Of polar winds from north to south. but
by the vertical descent Of frigid air from high
to low levels of the atmosphere. Although this
generalization is not new it is of great inter-
est in many climatic points of view, and very
suggestive to those interested in atmospheric
changes. It is contended that the climatic ex-
tremes are due to reversal of the differently
heated strata Of the atmosphere, occurring
during the variations Of pressure SO incassant
IN the gaseous ocean above US. The discus
sion Of the paper ELECTED from the Secretary
Of the Smithsonian Institution the equally
valuable suggestion that the sudden fall of
temperature is rather attributable to high
northerly currents Of air, which, under the
given conditions, dip downward till they
touch the surface of the earth and impart
their chilling influence


Without attempting to decide the relative
merits of these two varying views it is i'm
portant to notice how far they may be sus-
tanned by observation. For, if the former is
exclusively to be accepted, it would seem to
involve conditions hard to find realized in the
actual operations of nature, and it upsets many
rules OF meteorology which experience has in
dorsed According to the reasoning of the
paper mentioned the sudden declension Of
temperature is precipitated from the upper
atmosphere when its equilibrium has been
violently disturbed, the cold cloud strata ex-
changing places with the warm surface strata
of air. 1t can hardly be questioned
that it sometimes happens the ther-
mometer at place will fall very
low, when at more northerly places in
the vicinity the corresponding fall is less
marked. Much weight is attached to this
circumstance to prsve that the thermal de-
preston is not propagated from the regions
nearer the pole. The fact that in summer
storms, very local and circumscribed in their
extent, the mercury suddenly drops down,





of the storm, is also pressed into service by
the advocates Of this view; but the evidence
adduced in it's support is by no means extern
siye or conclusive


If the polar cold which often develops
itself 80 quickly is due to disarrangement of
the aerial strata we should expect the lowest
thermal depressions in the tropics where the
most violent disturbances occur. The high
air over the tropical ocean is intensely cold.
and if it descended during great barometric
changes it would be felt in Cuba and Jamaica
as a cold snap in midwinter is felt in New
York and New England. Especially in the
tropical hurricane season, from August to
October, when the greatest agitations of the
atmosphere occur, the severest irosts and
freezes might be looked for, and the cane fields
could scarcely survive the shock thus induced
one year in twenty. Experience shows that
no such thermal phenomena are observed in
the warm attitudes as the theory calls for;
and this known fact were there no other
explanation of our sudden cold spells, such
as Professor Henry suggests, would require o
better solution than any afforded by the
hypothesis proposed.


If, on the other hand, the suggestion of
Professor Henry, which accords with the
views generally entertained by scientific inves-
tigators, be accepted, it explains most, if not
all, of the facts observed, and affords ready
key to the winter climatology of the globe.
The inquiry is one of great interest and i'm
portance, and we hope it will be followed up
by others skilled in such Investigations.


English Views OF Infa fallibility.


Whether the command to render unto
Caesar the things that are Caesar and unto
Cod tho fhinra fhat Gtol,c hoe