116 Mr. Main on the Phenomena of Waterspouts. 



Many ideas occur to the beholder of such " elemental 

 strife." Moses hath told us, that soon after the creation " there 

 went up a mist from the earth, which watered the whole face 

 of the ground ;" and this necessary alternation of the ascent 

 and descent of the element of water has continued ever since. 

 The aspiring agency of heat, both from the earth and from 

 that daily borrowed of the sun, is apparently the cause of the 

 ascent of humidity ; yet without the assistance of some other 

 no less powerful agent, it is difficult to account for all the 

 phaenomena connected with the ascent and descent thereof. 

 For though most copious between the tropics, and in our sum- 

 mer months, the lowest degree of temperature even within 

 the arctic circle does not materially check evaporation, and the 

 assumption by aqueous vapour of an invisible state in the at- 

 mosphere takes place as well in winter as summer. We find 

 when the atmosphere is most fully charged with aqueous vapour, 

 and has its temperature above the dew point, and consequently 

 not a cloud to be seen ; when almost all of it is exhaled from 

 the surface of the earth ; when vegetables and even animals 

 languish, — the barometer is high : but when this sustaining 

 power becomes diminished or withdrawn, a change takes place, 

 a sensible precipitation of moisture (erroneously called dew) is 

 felt, the air becomes turbid, clouds are formed, lightning is 

 seen, thunder heard, and rain descends. The barometer, eased 

 of its burden, sinks to the point of rain, or snow, or storm ; 

 and to this succeeds " a showery time, " which continues till 

 the atmosphere is again charged with that power which keeps 

 its vapour in solution, and restores its transparency. Is elec- 

 tricity this agent? 



These meteorous changes, so interesting to mankind, al- 

 ways suggest and force upon us the wish to obtain an efficient 

 weather-glass ; such an one as would be affected by the exist- 

 ence and motions of those powers which cause the changes in 

 the atmosphere which are out of the reach of our perceptions. 

 Perhaps an electrometer which would indicate the quantity, 

 but especially the character and direction of that subtile fluid 

 {if such an instrument could be constructed), would be of the 

 greatest service in foreshowing the changes of the weather. 



The above description and remarks are from actual obser- 

 vation. No reference has been made to any book, or other 

 authority on the subject; and whether the writer has been de- 

 ceived by appearances, and been led to erroneous conclusions 

 as to the cause of them, must be left to the judgement of the 

 reader. 



6, Union Row, Chelsea, 



April 21, 1827. XX. On 



