296 TRANS. OF THE ACAD. OF SCIENCE. 



they strike the sea shore. On an average, when such a gale 

 passes here over St. Louis, it takes about 24 hours before 

 it reaches the eastern sea shore. Ample time is thus given 

 to forewarn and prepare all those who would be endangered 

 by it. But, as this cannot be made an object of individual 

 enterprise, it ought to be entrusted by government to some 

 board of scientific men, as, for instance, to the Smithsonian 

 Institution in Washington, with its distinguished physicist, 

 Prof. J. Henry. But in the present distracted state of our 

 country there is very little hope that any proposition of 

 the kind would meet with favor from the proper authorities. 



In regard to the action of atmospheric electricity, during 

 an aurora borealis, I had no opportunity in the four years to 

 make any observations myself; but Prof. Dellmann states, in 

 a late publication, that he made, one evening, during an 

 aurora, observations of atmospheric electricity for three hours, 

 and that he found the electricity invariably positive, but reg- 

 ularly increasing and decreasing with the rise and fall of the 

 aurora. 



I had twice a chance to observe in what manner a dense 

 mass of smoke acts upon electricity. On two occasions large 

 fires from burning houses — one very near, the other half a 

 mile distant — drove clouds of smoke to my place of observa- 

 tion. The atmospheric electricity, which up to that moment 

 had been strongly positive, changed at once into highly neg- 

 ative, lasting as long as the smoke did, and disappearing 

 with it, although the fire continued burning for sometime 

 afterwards. 



To ascertain the connection of electricity with ozone, I 

 tried often most reliable ozone-paper ; but it never showed 

 any re-action, while the same paper used in the country gave 

 the usual result. 



