" Additional Objections " relating to Whirlwind Storms. 483 



thesis," whether " absurd " or otherwise, with observations on 

 storms, I apprehend it has been by my opponents, notwith- 

 standing that the seeming dislike to observations may appear 

 unfavourable to this conclusion. 



In the same paragraph are alleged no less than three quota- 

 tions in forms of words and connexion such as I did not use ; 

 and at least three following paragraphs of the "additional 

 objections " appear devoted to the unamiable attempt to render 

 me obnoxious to distinguished men, which perhaps may ren- 

 der proper the following statement and explanation. 



I had incidentally remarked, on the occasion of Mr. Espy's 

 first attempt to discredit certain facts and results which I had 

 stated *, that " the grand error into which the whole school of 

 meteorologists appear to have fallen, consists in ascribing to 

 heat and rarefaction the origin and support of the great atmo- 

 spheric currents which are found to prevail over a great por- 

 tion of the globe." And, in allusion to the views found in 

 Sir John F. W. Herschel's treatise on Astronomy, I also 

 said, " Sir John, however, has erred, like his predecessors, in 

 ascribing mainly, if not primarily, to heat and rarefaction 

 those results which should have been ascribed solely to me- 

 chanical gravitation, as connected with the rotative and orbi- 

 tual motion of the earth's surface, the influence of which he 

 but partially recognizes in connection with this and another 

 subject of inquiry." By the ill-chosen phrase " whole school," 

 was simply meant, all meteorologists to whose writings I had 

 obtained access. It was an inadvertent form of expression, 

 not particularly noticed by me till after publication, and has 

 probably given more pain to myself than to any one else. I 

 have reason to believe that Sir John Herschel has not thought 

 himself accused or denounced in these passing and somewhat 

 hurried remarks. 



Even if Dr. H. could have succeeded by this ruse in cover- 

 ing his apparent discomfiture on the main question of rota- 

 tion, was it required for the elucidation of science, or consist- 

 ent with the rules of candour and courtesy, that he should 

 persist in repeated efforts to excite an odium in the minds of 

 his readers ? 



I had pointed out Dr. Hare's error in alleging that I reject 

 the influence of heat on winds. In now repeating this allega- 

 tion [§ 63], he complacently intimates, that "It is very pos- 

 sible that his opinions may have changed since he read my 

 ' objections,' but that he did reject the influence of HEATf 



* Silliman's Journal, vol. xxviii. p. 316. 



f In cases of quotation, where it is proper to notice the bearing of par- 

 ticular words or phrases, I adduce these in small capitals, as above. 



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