and Nations on the extent and situation of Forests. 249 



The United States, again, present the opposite picture. 

 They abound with every thing promoting the physical deve- 

 lopment of the country, and enable the geographer to draw a 

 distinct line of demarcation between the savage and the inha- 

 bitant of a civilized country. The material interests form the 

 basis, and are amply supported by the indirect influence of 

 forests ; for these latter constitute, with regard to agriculture, 

 commerce, trades, and manufactures, one of those elements 

 which are indispensable to the prosperous condition of those 

 branches of industry. The geographer, guided by the method 

 of comparisons, has to draw his inferences respecting the rela- 

 tions of the population, from these agents, which so materially 

 influence the physical development of countries. 



The annual amount of rain is chiefly determined by the 

 greater or less abundance of flowing and standing waters. 

 Not taking in account, that it is to a certain extent dependent 

 on the geographical condition of countries, as also on winds 

 and mountains, by far the greater portion of it must be re- 

 ferred to the agency of waters and forests, which, when the 

 latter occupy the slopes of mountains, are sure to increase 

 the fall of rain ; and, in consequence, to aff*ect the interests 

 of agriculture, trades, manufactures, and navigation. We 

 might furnish an abundance of examples, taken from the 

 physical history of our globe, from meteorological observations 

 made to ascertain the amount of rain, &c., in order to substan- 

 tiate the assertion, that the gradual reduction in the quantity 

 of rain falling in the south and west of Europe, is by no means 

 the result of more extended agriculture ; but that the clearing 

 of mountain forests presents itself as the most obvious and ef- 

 ficient reason. 



The simple fact, that level countries, under nearly the 

 same latitude, although the one contains a larger extent 

 of forests than the other, receive about the same annual 

 quantity of rain, tends to demonstrate that it is only the 

 mountain forests which, by determining an increase in the 

 average quantity of rain, exert a powerful influence on agri- 

 culture, and the other branches of industry. We may thus 

 easily understand, why, in the woody plains of Bavaria and 

 Prussia, the amount of rain is, on the whole, not much more 



VOL. XXXVI NO. T-^-irTT k'-^TL 1^*< R 



