i03 [ 108 ] 



parallels within which wheat, Indian corn, etc., may be profitably culti- 

 vated, and which present results so different from those found to exist in 

 the eastern continent in Asia, will be determined accurately. The degree 

 of dryness and moisture will be ascertained; the amount of rain, and the 

 amount of evaporation ; que^^ions not only bearing upon t re health and 

 ■comfort of man, but upon his altempts to facilitate communication by 

 canals and the improvements oi rivers, and upon the means of avoiding or 

 controlling floods and freshets. The number of days of rain, the number 

 of clear and cloudy days, and the amount of loss of the sun's effect by 

 cloudiness, will be determined ; the direction and force of the wind, and 

 the system.s of winds prevailing in different parts of the continent, and in 

 the different seasons oi the year. The mean pressure of the air and its 

 variations will be seen, as shown by tlie barometer ; from which imjmrtant 

 data in regard to relative heights of points may be obtained, giving the 

 general topographical features of our extended country, and serving as a 

 recomioissance in more distant parts of it for railroads or common roads 

 ■which may be proposed. The progress of waves of pressure, either con- 

 iiected with storms or with the oidinary fluctuations of the atmosphere, 

 -.vill be ascertained. All periodicai fJitnomena will be studied in connexion 

 with these observations; the flowering ol plants and trees, the ripening of 

 grains and of fruits, the migrations of animals. The frequence and inten- 

 sity of the aurora borealis will be determined ; and its singular variations 

 in passing from north to south and east to west, on our continent,' will be 

 studied. The direction of the motion, the frequency, the intensity, and 

 other circumstances actuating our thunder storms, will be ascertained,. 

 From the observations v.-ill result the law of storms in its in\l development ; 

 and its application to all parts of the continent, or limitation to particular 

 portions will be entirely ascertained ; an application so important to the 

 farmer and navigator, so interesting to the man of science, and so desirable 

 to he known by every one who travels on any of our lakes or iivers, or 

 along our extensive and somewhat stormy coasts. The lines of our tele- 

 graphs will be rendered available for observations on this subject, more 

 complete than any which have been l)itherto jiracticable ; and while they 

 enable us to determine the laws of storms, will also furnish means of giving 

 notice of their progress, and then of anticipating their approach. 



The diseases incident to different climates, the phenomena of malaria, the 

 progress and laws of epidemics, may be studied in connection with the 

 periodical phenomena from carefully collected statistics. 



A contribution to ethnology may be the statistics of the numerical 

 decrease of the Indian races : to the interest of which many minds in this 

 country are fully alive. 



These are only a portion of the results which may be expected from a 

 wide-spread and well organized system of meteorological observations. 



We would propose, therefore, to establish at once, in addition to those 

 which now exist, fifty meteorological stations in the positions named below ; 

 to supply the primary stations with a full set of instruments, carefully com- 

 pared and of uniform construction, namely, a thermometer, barometer, 

 hygrometer, rain and snow gauge, and wind vane ; to cause hourly obser- 

 vations to be made at six or eight stations, and observations three times 

 day at all others, according to the same system. 



