METEOROLOGY IN RUSSIA. 



269 



years for about ten otber places. The most important part of the work 

 relates lo the winds. Wesselovsky was the lirst to prove that in south- 

 ern Eussia the winds are easterly in autumn and winter, while in the 

 center and northern part of the country they are from the southwest at 

 this time of year, the same as in England and Germany. These relations 

 of the wind to the seasons were exposed with the greate.st clearness, 

 and the new data since collected have only confirmed Wesselovsky's 

 views; as I shall afterwards show, surprising as it may appear, the 

 anemology of Eussia and Siberia is even now misunderstood, especially 

 by foreign meterologists. A chapter on vapor, clouds, rain, and hail 

 follows. The observations were very few, while these phenomena, 

 being local, can only be well studied when we have a great number 

 of observations. The last chapter of the woi^k is also of great import- 

 ance 5 it treats of the changes of climate, and presents conclusive evi- 

 dence that appreciable changes have not taken place in historical times. 

 By consulting the classical authors, Wesselovsky shows that the general 

 opinion that the climate of Southern Eussia has become milder has no 

 foundation. If Ovid, banished to the countries of the lower Danube, is 

 astonished at the rigor of the climate, this is quite natural for a south- 

 erner. The Danube froze at that time as it freezes now, at least in its 

 lower parts. The facts related by Herodotus relative to Scy thia are still 

 more important. At that time, as now, rains and thunder storms were 

 frequent in summer, and this was new to a Greek, accustomed as he was 

 to a rainless summer in his own country, while the rains of winter were 

 less abundant in Scy thia than on the shores of the Mediterranean. 



Herodotus also tells us that Southern Eussia was a steppe, (^) at his 

 time, as it is now, and probably has been during the whole of the pres- 

 ent geological period. 



The freezing and opening of rivers affords the author another proof 

 that the climate has not changed in this respect since the beginning of 

 the eighteenth century; at least that the time when the temperature 

 is below the freezing-point is now the same as before. There is certainly 

 a great variation in this respect in single years, and even in periods of 

 from ten to twenty years. But nothing indicates a i)ermanent change 

 of climate. Cold years are followed by warm ones, and vice versa. If 

 we take periods of thirty years at St. Petersburg, we have as follows : 



(') Jreeles' region, prarie. 



