312 



APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



make tlie same report. The forests testify also. According to physical 

 geography it could not be otherwise. The warm air from the ocean 

 encountering tlie snow-capped mountains would naturally produce this 

 result. Kain is nothing but atmosphere condensed and falling in drops 

 to the eartli. Fog is atmosphere still held in solution, but so tar con- 

 densed as to become visible. This ccmdensation occurs when the air is 

 chilled by contact v.ith a colder atmos]»here. Now these very conditions 

 occur on the mn-th-west coast. The ocean air, as it comes in contact 

 with the elevated range, is chilled until its moisture is set free. 



Add to these iiitlnences, es])ecially as regards Sitka, the presence of 

 mountain masses and of dense forests, all tending to makt; this coast 

 warmer in winter and colder in suiiimer than it would otlierwise be. 



Practical observation has verified these conclusions of science. Any 

 isothermal nmp is enough for our purpose; but there are others which 

 show the relative conditions generally of diflcrent portions of the globe. 

 I ask attention to those of Keith Jolmston, in ids admirable Ailas. I»ut 

 1 am glad to present a climatic table of tlie Pacilic coast in omparison 

 with the Atlantic coast, which has been recently compiled, at iny request, 

 from the archives of the Smithsonian Institution with ])ermission of its 

 learned Secretary, by a collaborator of the Institution, r^'lio visited 

 Ilussian Ameiica under the ausi)ices of the Telegraph Company. In 

 studying this table we shall be able to comprehend the relative position 

 of this region in the physical geography of the world : 



St: Miclmers, Russian 

 America (lat. 63° 28' 45" 

 nortli) 



Fort Tonkon, llnssiaTi 

 America (lat. (near) (>7^). 



Ikomiit, Russian America 

 (lat. (>]° 47') 



Sitka, Russian America 

 (lat. 5703') 



Puget vSonnd, AVasliinfcton 

 Territor>' (lat. 47° 7') 



Astoria, Oregon (lat. 40° 



11') 



San Francisco, Calitornia 



(lat. 370 48') 



Naiu, Labrador (lat. 57'=' 



10') 



Montreal, Canada Kast 



(lat. 45030') 



Portland, Maine (lat. 43° 



39') 



Fort Hamilton, New York 



(lat. 40^ 37') 



"Washiriirton, District of 



Columbia 



Mean temperature in degrees 

 . Fahrenheit. 



(5_„-„_. Sum- An- Win- 

 oprm^,. ^^^ tumn. ter. 



28.75 

 14.22 

 19.62 

 39. 65 

 48.88 

 51.16 

 55. 39 

 23.67 

 41.20 

 40.12 

 47.84 

 54.19 



52.25 

 59.67 

 49.32 

 53.37 

 63.44 

 61. 36 

 58.98 

 48.57 

 08.53 

 63.75 

 71. 35 

 73.07 



27. 00 

 17.37 

 36.05 

 43.80 

 51.30 

 53.55 

 58.29 

 33. 65 

 44.93 

 45.75 

 55. 70 

 53.91 



7.00 

 23. SO 



0.05 

 32. 30 

 39.38 

 42.43 

 50.25 



0.40 

 16.40 

 21.52 

 32.32 

 33.57 



Year. 



Precipitation in rain or snow: 

 Depth i]^ inches. 



Sprinjs 



18.32 

 7.52 



16.43 

 0. 05 



Sum- i.u- Win- 

 nier. tiaun. ter. 



Year. 



15.75 

 3.68 

 4.85 

 0.09 



11.20 



11.60 ! 11.64 

 10.48 I 10.53 



32.10 

 15.13 



21.77 

 2.09 



9.88 

 10 16 



23.77 I «). 94 



20.65 I 4698 



I 

 44.15 I 87.20 



i 

 13. 49 22. 92 



10.31 

 10.06 



27.00 



43.22 

 41.24 



It will be seen from this table that the winters of Sitka are relatively 

 warm, not ditfering much from those of Washington, and several degrees 

 warmer than those of NeAv York; but the summers are colder. The 

 mean temi)erature of winter is 32° ;>()', wliile that of summer is 53° 37'. 

 The Washington winter is 38° 57'; the Wasl)ington summer is 73° 7'. 

 These points exhibit th<' peculiarities of tins coast — warm winters and 

 cool summers. 



Tlie winter of Sitka is milder than thaf of many Kuropean ca])itals. 

 It is much milder than thaf of St. retersburgh, Moscow, Stockholm, 



