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portion of heat. Nottonly do I feel well per
suaded of tins fact, bull t.iink t..eeO»»clus.o
tvarruujeJ fro in t.e nature and prepert e»'o
the food ej-toenuelves.
I deem it proper to remark in this place, re
it goes liu* in niv maid to corroborate t e ia
poc aesis I have assumes and at t-re same tan.
is in itself a circumstance nor uhtfte remark
ble, t.nat I have uever in tne course oi my l.u
met with one of t aese warm bo ese-tner m»
mediately succeeding a thuic'er-sto.m. or v<
for some time afterward. Ino plain le-iso
suppose to be this: trey have been remo.e
by tuc combine i operat e i oi t.e c eme its
and in their removal, a law is fuifnle.l that i
not only iudispensabe in ti e eco omv o m.
ture, but in the highest degree be. eficiul u
many of her movements. Tne attnorphe «
is then no longer cnarge 1 with a bur eiiso.ni
portion ot heit : but Irom tne fierce co .cus
sions that have take r place it is iende ed re
rene, delightful, and heult lful. Tnis bring
me more imme lia'elv to t.e po nt w lich I
have in view, and w lic’i it is my prere ;t pur
pose to explain, namely, the common phenome
non of electricity issuhig in profuse up fen
did streams from the clouds.
T int electricity shoillexst in a considera
ble degree, even if it exist at all, in mere v i
por, or in t ic higher o • colder regions of tne
atmosphere. I behere to be amoit in ruse it ab
surdity. Since s lowers of hail are coimno i,
we want no furt ler evi.de ice of tne intense
cold w.iich prevails in the a gier reg.o is ; and
it is utterly repugnant to co nmon sense to
imagine that electricity can Ire engendered or
preserved umo ig m isses of co lge ;!eJ and
congealing water.
Whenever the atmosphere becomes loaded
with a he ivy portion of vapo \ t ie format on
of clouds is the natural co isequeice ; and be
ing constantly kept in mot.o i by currents of
air, they soon mignify to mi unknown extent
of surface and depth. As tre big ier parts
must necessarily <o n n micato with those re
gions which are atteade I wit i extreme cold,
and as their weight must often presst rem very
near to the earth, it follows us a tiling of course
that their influence becomes botn extensive &
powerful.
Tne efforts of nk.ure to keep up a general
equilibrium in all her movements, are pretty;
well understoo 1. Tie e e forts in equ dz ng
heat and cold, are familiar to most people.—
Tne cool air constantly rus ling through and evi
ces into a tight room m ide w irm, sufliciently
illustrates tus point; a re-e/e ice, however, to
tlie operation of an air-furnace s lows it more
conclusively. W ienever, t .e.eio e, a veryj
extended bo ly oi* dense vapor is put in mo ho i,j
and sweeps over t re eaitn, be ng borne along, l
as is frequently the case by stvo ig currents of j
cold air, I t.iink it fair to presume that it must
attract to itself an immense portion of the 1
heat that is spread over its surface. To my I
mind, nothing is mo e evident tnaii thissim-l
pie process; for I think tic conclusion follows 1
irresistibly, that t io;c numnro is bo 1 es of neat
wnich are slotting o i the surf tee of the ground,;
are drawn forcib y into t ie in is.s of cold vapor: j
and the inst mt tney come i,i .contact wit a t ie
colder and dense! parts, be ng first muc i com
pressed, they explo !e, pro lacing tie usual
phenomena of viv.d lightning and lo id peals
of thunder. Tne d.flereice in tie so ce and
duration of explo; o is, 1 ascr.be Jo t ic differ
ence in the rn ig.iitu le of tne ,e bo Ires of he it.
Beside, in their ascent into t.reeloj Is, it seems
quite probable that in nnny instances a junc
tion of several may take place. In such cas
es, it is reaso iab!e to suppose the concussion
becomes pro io t o rally tremeidois. But l
do not restrict my view in relatre i to t'l’s point
so’cly to those moving bo lies; for t ie belief
forces itself very stro igiy upon my m’nd.t mt
the influence of an im.nets arable large holy
of cold vapor, moving with resistless force
through the atm jsp iere, attracts to itself in
masses or curre its, all the redundant por
tion of he it t nt re n ii ns upo i t ie surf tee o '
the groan!. T iese misses or currents o
by w ntever name t ley in iv be ctlle I, are op
erate 1 upo l so to ’cibly, 1 1 it t :ev must very
soon beco no completely aggregtte 1 holies;
that, in their asce it into t ie clo i Is, they are
subject to the same operative e foots, and pro
duce the same console ices, taat are ascribe I
to the bodies of he at w lich have already un
dergone review. Indeed, the supposition ap
pears to my m ud not u ire iso i thle, that these
latter bo lies occis'oi eve i a fiercer coicus
sion among tie e!e no its t ian the o hers, so
the reason that thev are perhaps larger, and
therefore contain within tnenra selves a higher
degree of heat.
Tab I take to be the natural and true source
of those wonderful displays of the electric
property.that-em mate in such surprising qunn
tiu& frwfla imvily wadgnsed vapor, drives
throng winds, which, beyond all nloubt, origin
e in h.gii and cold icg.ons.
bhomi. e united elfoct of thete Operations,
e influence ot wnich must Le inconceivably
~eat, springs tilth extraoidiiiary change m
e disposition and cnuracter ol'tire atmosphere
.v.iiCii commonly succeeds, und which is at
nice so grateful and even so necessary to the
existence, health, and comfort of the whole
.ninal and vegetable cieation. The air, as
etb.e lemarked, is made elastic, pure, and
uubr.ous, imparting fresh spirits and vigor to
every livn.g tim.g. w.ret.cr animate or mani
n.«:e. T e eaitn is ie! eved from the great
iK'S . o.dicat that wasspie and over it, and which,
.veto .1 of io g continuance, would become
i;o o ct er ißsupj o. table. The air by means
n.‘ it, would he rendered ui fit tor respiration,
md life could i.ot be sustained.
In a lew instances 1 have met w ith those
>o i cs o; warm air in the forenoon; but fiiis
is no common. I lecolleet an instance sev
eral ye irs since, in wnicn I had occasion to
pass Hudson’s river, opposite the city, early
in tne day. Wnen we were near tlie Jersv
snore, inano.eu boat, it being about eight
o’clock in tne morning, wath a gentle bieeze
jfiom the so itn-west, tiie day very sultry, we
I pas e I tnrong i two of these bodies of warm
air, w lieu were qu.te near each other. They
nee.ne l to Ire uncommonly large, and were of
,sucu ail extraordinary degree of warmth, as
to attract t.e not.ee of all the passengers. I
t link t rey were marked with a higher portion
o ' neat t tan any lever recollect to have no
ticed. About the hour of five or six in the
afternoo i, a fierce tempest came over the citv,
and tne clouds discharged a large quantity of
hail, attended with a more than ordinary emis
sion of tne electric property. Many of the
huil-stones were as large as ounce balls.
It becomes unnecessary to remark, because
the fact is familiar to us all, that after the com
mencement of coo! weatiier, wc have seldom
any thunder. The reason of this appears
suifie e itly obvious. The great portion of
oppiessive lieat is withdrawn from this divis
ion of the earth, and its place is supplied with
air from tiie colder regions.
of looming.
This phenomenon, I presume, is occasioned
soeiy by the agency of tne sun operating on
vapo.’. Vapor evidently assumes a very va
riable character. Tnat wnich is visible to the
eye. and even tangible, goes under the usual
denomination of fog. As soon as tiie power
o. t .e sun is broug.it to act upon it, it imme
diate y becomes ran fie 1, and we see it begin
to ascend. After rising to a certain degree
of elevation, it forms itself into clouds ; but it
of en hangs lor a time on the declivity of
ralges. befb;e it attains that region in the at
mo.p .e e w lich seems to mark the usual dis
tance of the clouds from the earth. Wnile
mov ug in the atmosphere, t rey reflect the va
ro is snades of light, according to their de
gree of density and their position in relation
to Ue sun.
I Tuee is another kind of vapor of a char
acter so extiemely subtile, as to be invisible to
t.se eye; tuough, had we sufficient accutcness
of visio i to perceive only a small part of the
oper t on our wo ulcr, 1 tniiik. would be great
;ly excite!. T iis comes under the general
de o ninat on of exhalation or evaporation. It
comprises all that immense mass, which, by
tne resistless energy of heat, is absorbed from
t.e boundless surfaces of water, from the
| earth itself, and from every species of vegeta
tion. At certain periods, the effect of this is
so great, that objects at a moderate distance
i are m tde to appear indistinct; although, when
superficially examined, the atmosphere pre
sents the appearance of much purity and
serenity.
Fio n the known properties of light and
heat, we can readily perceive, that when they
a:e bioug it to act o i vapor, the effect becomes
I'very striking. Under some circumstances, it
| is ma 'e to reflect various hues ; under others,
jit becones an extraordinary magnifying pow
er. At times, if we cast our eyes across a
;bo ly of water, in order to examine a distant
sno e we arc deceive! by an illusion which
in so no s tu itlo is is not uncommon, and which
>ee;rn to be intimately connected with the
present inquiry. Tie water near tile shore,
ru t ,e appe trance of being elevated, and pre
■>e it s a real obstacle to a correct view of tlie
land. Tne e aie three situations at which
tiiis phe lomeno i is sometimes visible when
standing on the Battery. One is at the point
of Staten Island at the Narrows; another is
it t ic K Us, so called, between tbe Jersv shore
and the north point of the island; and the
third is near Weekavvk, at the distance of
boat three miles. , There are also other situa
boas qu the East and North river, where it is
1 equally visile. Tl:c cause can he no othe*
! than the infllience oi light and beat on 1. 1
current of evaporation, winch becomes iefie<
five, while it serves as a magnifier. It mu.
he borne in mind, that ti-esc cilccts are vis. Li.
only where high giounds stand m ti e rear, o
are contiguous. The! ght tiom ti etc gioum
[irobably lias a reacting tendency, assisting n
produce the effect in question ; giving to tl-«
water the appearance of be- g raised aho.i
'.its ordinary level, uccompanfed w.t.i a jeci
liarly luminous aspect, it is n y opinion, tna
when this happens, cvrq onit.on may ti:e:i be
siipjio cd to go on witli greatest ioice ; lor j
strd.es my nnnd l! -v* tins law is by no meat.,
uniform in its action. At t.mes its influence
w ould apj ear to be very great; at other time
partial; and under some circumstances who!
ly suspended. All this I co. ce ve to be owing
to tiie state or condition of me atmosphere
itself.
But I am strongly inclined to believe, that
the manner in whic-i evaporate-; goes on, dri
fers materially in o-c respect from w hat max
perhaps be ti.e general -opimon. It appears to
me tiiat the vapor is drawn together in columns
or bodies, and ascends in tiiat way ; that it
must necessarily be subject to tms mode of
operation ; and tiiat t e.-e columns or bo 1 cs
in their character and mo cements are very
similar to water-spouts, but without the capa
bility of producing any visible agitation of the
atmosphere, ow ing to their extreme suhtileiy.
As t. e ocean presents an extended surface. I
think it probable that in some cases these as
cending columns are very large; and when
tney intervene between a vessel and the land,
the effect must be very strong, and consequent
ly the more deceiving. I presume this is that
kind of illusion which is familiar to seamen
when they approach the land, and which, in
nautical language, is denominated looming.
It sometimes happens during the prevalence
of a fog in the bay of* New-Yoik, that objects
present tliemsetves to the eye seemingly very
large, but which on a near approach are found
to be of inconsiderably magnitude. I never
beheld a case, however, in which the illusion
made the obiect to an; ear so disnro; o.’toned
and striking as the o e meat oneu by Mr. Jef
ferson.* The difference n:o-t probably aris
es from difference of situations.
The real cause of ti e deception I take to
be this: After the sun has attained considera
ble altitude, and by its influence has dissipated
the denser part of tne v;q or, the rays of light
and heat penetrate through the remaining por
tion, producing a stro ig magnifying effiet: and
; when, under these circumstances, an object is
placed within a certain distance of an observ
er, (but of the real distance required to pio
tluce the effect, 1 am finable to speak.) it as
sumes a very impo ing aspect, seeming to be
much larger than it really is. I think lam
correct in asserting, (and to this sentiment 1
attach great we : ght.) that none of these phe
nomena were ever noticed either before the
sun had risen or after it had set. Hence 1 in
for, that their true origin and cause, must be
: traced to the influence which light and beat arc
generally understood to have on va;or; and
which, under some circumstances communi
cate to it a high magnifying, and under others
| a bright reflecting property.
In relation to the singular circumstance ofa
mountain in Virginia assuming various and
appearently whimsical shapes at certain peri
ods, it can, in iny view of the subject, arise
from no other conceivable causes but from
those at present under view. As before oh.
[served, ordinary evaporation is so extremely
subtile as to elude our vision ; i evcrtheless, it
must at times be ofsuflic'ent density tc conceal
a distant object from view. It is known that
the atmosphere in high ;i nations is generally
cool; and fog is frequently seen extended in
*“ Having had occasion to mention the particular
situation of Monticello fro her purposes, I will jus;
take notice that is clevn-i vi ntf-sals nn opportunity of
! seeing a phenomenon which is ra ! e at lard, ‘hough fre-
I quent at sea. The seamen calli" looming. Phi’osophy
I is as ye* in the rear of seamen, for so far from having
i accou Ved for it, rhe has n a o,if a name. Ls prir.-
j cipal rtlect is *o make diva ;t objee;s appear larger, i:i
: opposition to ihe general law of vision, by which they
are diminished. I knew an instance at York tow ti,
| fromwhence die wa-er prosper 1 c istwardlv is withon*
termination, wherein a canoe with three men at a great
distance, was taken for a ship with its three masts. 1
am little acquainted wi‘h ihe phenomenon as it shows
itself at sea; but at Monticcllo it is famliar. There i»
a solitary mountain about forty miles off, in the south,
whose natural shape, as presented to view tliere, is a
regular cone ; but by the effect of looming, it some
times subsides almost w holly into rhe horizon ; some
times it rises more accu'e and more oleva e J ; some’imes
it is hemispherical; and sometimes irs sides are perpen
dicular, its top fiat, and as broad as its base. In short,
it assumes al times the most whimsical shapes, and all
these, perhaps, successively in the same morning. Re-,
fraction will not account for this metamorphosis; tha
only changes rhe proportions of length and breadth,
base and altitude, preserving he general ou'lines. Thm
it may make a circle appear eliptical, raise or depress
a cone; but by none of its laws, as yet developed, will
it make a cixvie appear a square, or a cotie a sphere.”
Xfolet on Virginia,
•bin honzofifal strata on the top of a riflge, le
oming visibly condensed on meeting with the
00l air above. The elfoct on invisible vapor
.ve must presume to be the eame; und & times
body of it must be supposed to take the same
iatG, remaining for a while stationary, (sub
ect i exert! dess to very sudden and material
iai.ges) coiiccjfling ti e top of the rtidgefrom
e sig.it. At ti.e same time, streams of vapor
i e sup} o-red to ascend ti otn the foot of the ridge,
i.d adhering to its sides in columns or sprro
nalogous shaj e, !eu\e the prominent part ex
oed to tre view of tire observer. Some
■ mes ti.ese exhalat ons ascend in right lines,
md coming in contact with the horizontal
=tratu above, it gives to the mountain a quad,
angular figure. At other times they are pre.
un.ed to follow its sides, and meeting on the
op in curved lines, it presents a hemispherical
figure. And whatever may be the form as
jsumed by the object, whether quadrangular,
! emispherical, conical, sunk in the horizon, or
whatever else. 1 foel well assured it is all the
e-sect of the same law. In my opinion it can
| neither be traced to, nor can it originate from,
any other conceivable or assignable cause.
It is remarked of ti e mountain in question,
! tiiut it is isolated and solitary, and of a conical
>Oi ru. To this circumstance alone must be
owing the exhibition of the strange phenomc
non. I venture lo assert, that no correspond,
ing appearances were ever observed on a moun.
tain of any considerable continuity, unless aid.
ed by distance and some peculiar circumstan
ces, piovided its shape and figure possessed
the character of unilbimity.
Since the foregoing observations on looming
were written, I am altogether satisfied of their
correctness, and do not now oiler them as
mere matter of speculation. Any persons
who wishes to remove fiom his mind every
doubt in this respect, can easily do it. There
is o: e state of the atmosphere alone in which this
phenomenon is visible; and this is not unfre
quent in the spring and autumn. In summer
or winter it is rarely seen,
j Whenever a sudden transition takes place
from a warm or sultry, to a refrigerative at*
mosphere, this phenomenon is very visible at
ti e noi t!i }oa t of Staten Island ; at the Nar
rows and at Weehawk, as before stated. The
effect is produced solely by action between the
two elements, air and water. The air in such
cases being dry, and considerably colder than
tire water, a powerful evaporation immediate
ly ensues; for the plain reason, that an equili
brium in the operations of nature must be kept
up ; but, as I have already remarked, it cannot
be seen until the light acts strongly upon it.
Hence it will be found, that it is scarcely per
ceptible either before sunrise or after sunset.
It will be evident to every observer who is
willing to examine for himself, that in a mere
ordinary state of the atmosphere, the ridge in
New-Jersey, as seen through the Narrows, pre
.-cuts an almost even line of considerable eleva
t’oa. In a few instances, I have perceived the
elfoct of looming to be so strong, that, in the
language of Mr. Jefferson, it had almost ‘subsi*
ded in the horizon.’ The comb of the ridge
only was perceptible, and presented the appear
ance of small tufts or points.* This, I think,
i goes to confirm the suggestion before made,
! that t.ie vapor ascends in columns. The very
jagged appearance of those parts of the ridge,
seen under such chcumstauces, I deem con*
[elusive on this point. The steam fiom boiling
■ water takes that shape, and still farther illus*
| trates the position.
It Mr. Jefferson had taken pains to note the
state ot the atmosphere, during those periods
when t; e mountain of which he speaks pre
sented those whimsical appearances, I am well
persuaded that he would have found them at
no time visible, except durirg the prevalence
of such a state of the atmosphere as I have
mentioned. Indeed I hesitate not to say, that
t ie principles of philosophy will authorize no
o*i cr conclusion. And whether on land or
on water, the effect is the same, since it must
be owing to the same cause. The most skep
tical can satisfy themselves in relation to this
matter, with very little trouble.
In my next nuir <;r, I shall present some
facts in relation to the transmission of sound
through the air, and offer a theory of thunder
showers, and of west and north-west w’inds.
* I have several time? since remarked the fact, that
he ridge mentioned above was wholly invisible, and
hat foo, in an unusually serene state of the atmosphere
a hich, however, was highly refrigerative.
THE PUBLIC
ARE cautioned not to pay any Notts or book ao
* counts due to the subscriber, either to WiixiaM
.Mcßipe, r>r any oTer person who may present them
or collect’on, as »hev are not authorized by me ; and
he said William Mcßride having been guilty of a breach
jf trust. S. W. BO AG, Charleston.
February 17 I7p