METEOROt^OGY. 349 



whenever one or more of these forces, by any dis- 

 turbing cause, gains an extraordinary advantage 

 over the counteracting principle, the latter, in its 

 turn, by a kind of oscillation produced by the pre- 

 vailing tendency to equilibrium, recovers nearly an 

 equal advantage over the other ; and hence, when- 

 ever any extraordinary disarrangement takes place, 

 it is seldom evidenced by the appearance only of a 

 single great oscillation, or wave, as it were, which 

 immediately subsides ; but it is usually followed by 

 other lesser fluctuations, until the equilibrium of 

 the repelling forces be in some measure restored. 

 Though, in some phenomena, this equilibrium ne- 

 ver exactly takes place, yet the tendency to it is 

 fiiUy evidenced by the re-action which may general- 

 ly be observed. This doctrine is applicable to the 

 phenomena of waves, tides, winds, pressure and 

 temperature of the atmosphere, as well as numerous 

 other inequalities discoverable in the operations of 

 Nature. 



The temperature of the atmosphere, in any particu- 

 lar region, is one of those phenomena, which, however 

 they may fluctuate, or whatever may be their daily, 

 monthly, or yearly variations, and however unequal 

 and capricious these variations may appear to be, 

 will, on the average of numerous corresponding pe- 

 riods, be found to be dependent upon some certain 

 laws, tending to produce equilibrium ; so that the 

 general results are remarkably uniform. This is a 

 fact now generally received ; — a fact which becomes 



