130 MORRIS — STORMS FROM THE SOUTHWEST. [June 22 



concerned, but with which Frankhn was much occupied. A refer- 

 ence to the letters in Sparks' " Life of Frankhn " leaves no doubt 

 on this point. In the very year of the publication of the first edition 

 of Evans' essay, Franklin wrote tO' a friend as follows : 



" We frequently have along the North American coast storms 

 from the northeast, which blow violently sometimes three or four 

 days. Of these, I have had a very singular opinion for some years, 

 viz: that, though the course of the wind is from northeast to south- 

 west, yet the course of the storm is from southwest to northeast; 

 the air is in violent motion in Virginia before it moves in Connecticut, 

 and in Connecticut before it moves at Cape Sable." It is a con- 

 densed duplicate of this statement that appears on Evans' map. 



A question later arose as to the date when this '' very singular 

 opinion " had been formed. It was thus brought out that the ob- 

 servations which led to the opinion were made in connection with 

 an eclipse of the moon, which Franklin failed to see in Philadelphia 

 because the sky was covered with the clouds of a northeast storm, 

 and yet which his brother, Thomas, successfully observed in Boston, 

 where the northeast wind and its clouds did not occur until some 

 hours after the eclipse. From this little hint, which many an in- 

 vestigator might have allowed to pass by without further considera- 

 tion, Franklin gained the idea that the storm might possibly work 

 its way against the wind ; and this idea he confirmed by writing to 

 a correspondent in Virginia, from whom he obtained the report that 

 the storm there had begun sooner than it had in Philadelphia. The 

 date of the lunar eclipse was afterwards determined to be in the 

 year 1743. It would thus appear that Franklin contributed a state- 

 ment of his discovery to Evans' map, making no claim whatever for 

 recognition or priority; and indeed, suffering the statement to be 

 obliterated without remonstrance, so far as now appears, when the 

 second edition of the map was published. Generous as he thus 

 showed himself, to the point of indifference, it is still fitting that we 

 at this time should take pains to give credit where credit is due. 



Cambridge, Mass., April 18, 1906. 



