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of forefts and groves, and hedge-row trees, might have formerly- 

 very much retarded, and finally checked, the progrefs of a 

 tempeft ? 



4th, Have not all the countries of Europe, Afia and America, 

 within the parallel of Ireland, been very much denuded of their 

 forefts within the prefent century ? and have not the encreafed 

 velocity of the wefterly winds been proportioned to this deftruttion 

 of the forefts and trees, as to their natural caufes ? 



5th, Is it not probable, fmce the prevalent winds of our 

 parallel have a wefterly tendency, that circumftances which have 

 removed impediments to their career round the entire globe, 

 would give encreafed velocity to their courfe ? 



6th, Should not Ireland, launched as it is into the Atlantic, 

 beyond the other coafts of Europe ; and denuded, as it has been, 

 of forefts and hedge-row trees, be the moft fenfibly afFeded by 

 encreafing tempefts from the weft, and the firft to experience their 

 influence on its climate ? 



Whether thefe queries have any foundation in nature, or are 

 merely to be efteemed the refult of an unreftrained imagination ; 

 whether fo diminutive an animal as man, fo temporary in 

 duration, fo impotent in ftrength, ading through the lengthened 

 period and perfevering eftbrts of a large portion of his fpecies, can 

 i'eafonably be deemed equal to the involuntary produdion of 



fuch 



