110 PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. 



mam was the office of her delicate and poetical temperament. 

 Younger than Mr. Espy, she nevertheless died several years before 

 him, (in 1850,) leaving him to struggle alone in the decline of life 

 without the sustaining power of her devoted and enthusiastic nature. 



Having in a great degree matured his theory of storms; having 

 made numerous inductions from observations, and having written 

 a great deal in regard to it, Mr. Espy took the bold resolution, though 

 past middle age, to throw himself into a new career, laying aside 

 all ordinary employments, and devoting himself to the diffusion of the 

 knowledge which he had collected and increased, by lecturing in the 

 towns, villages, and cities of the United States. This proved a suc- 

 cessful undertaking, and by its originality attracted more attention 

 to his views than could have been obtained, probably, in any other 

 way. He soon showed remarkable power in explaining his ideas. 

 His simplicity and clearness enabled his hearers to follow him without 

 too great effort, and the earnestness with which he spoke out his con- 

 victions carried them away in favor of his theory. The same power 

 which enabled him to succeed in his lecturing career procured sub- 

 sequently for Mr. Espy the support and encouragement of some of the 

 leading men in Congress, and especially in the Senate, and also in 

 the executive departments. Their attention was arrested by the 

 originality of his views and his warmth in presenting them, and he 

 imparted so much of his conviction of their truth as to induce many 

 of our statesmen and official persons to exert themselves to procure 

 for him, under the patronage of the government, continued oppor- 

 tunities for study, research, and the comparison of observations. To 

 the consistent support of his scientific friends, and particularly of the 

 Secretary of this Institution, Mr. Espy owed also much in obtaining 

 the opportunities of keeping in a scientific career. His reports to 

 the surgeon general of the army, to Congress, and to the Secretary 

 of the Navy, are among his latest efforts in this direction. 



The earnest and deep convictions of the truth of his theory in all 

 its parts, and his glowing enthusiasm in regard to it; perhaps, also, 

 the age which he had reached, prevented Mr. Espy from passing 

 beyond a certain point in the deve^pment of his theory. The same 

 constitution of mind rendered his inductions from observation often 

 unsafe. His views were positive and his conclusions absolute, and 

 so was the expression of them. He was not prone to examine and 

 re-examine premises and conclusions, but considered what had once 

 been passed upon by his judgment as finally settled. Hence his 

 views did not make that impression upon cooler temperaments among 

 men of science to which they were entitled— obtaining more credit 

 among scholars and men of general reading,in our country than among 

 scientific men, and making but little progress abroad. 



Feeling that his bodily vigor was failing, and that his life must soon 

 close, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution induced him to 

 re-examine the various parts of his meteorological theories of storms, 

 tornadoes, and water-spouts, and to insert in his last report, while it 

 was going through the press, an account of his most mature views. 

 I trust that the Secretary will, in one of his reports, give us a thorough 

 and critical examination of the works and services of this remarkable 



