On the Causes of the Tornado, or Water Spout. 157 
I believe that the electrical excitement which gives rise to atmos- 
pheric discharges of electricity, in whatever form they may occur, is 
usually ascribed to the chemical changes taking place in the atmos- 
phere ; especially the formation or condensation of vapor.” 
nother view of this subject has suggested itself to my mind. It 
is known that the atmosphere acts generally as an electric, while the 
earth acts as a conductor of electricity ; and since the electric fluid 
passes through an exhausted receiver with great facility, it results 
that the rare medium which exists at a great elevation, is equivalent 
to another conductor. Hence it is evident that there are three enor- 
mous Concentric spaces, of which that which is intermediate contains 
an_electric, to which the others may act as coatings. When the ten- 
dency of the electric fluid to preserve an equilibrium is taken into 
view, I believe myself justified in the inference, that not only the 
space occupied by the globe, but the region beyond our atmosphere, 
or where the air is sufficiently rare to act as a conductor, must abound 
with electricity. Thus the atmosphere is situated between two oceans 
of electricity, of which the tension may often be different. Between 
these electric oceans, the clouds, floating in the non-conducting air, 
must act as movable insulated conductors ; and from the excitement 
consequent upon induction, chemical changes, or their proximity to 
the celestial electric ocean, must be liable to be electrified differently 
from each other, and from the terrestrial electric ocean. 
The phenomena of thunder storms may arise, from the passage of 
electricity from one electric ocean to the other being facilitated by an 
aR piernores of the ag or in consequence of cache 
a aurora. borealis may arise from jisieease | one ocean to 
the other of electricity, which, not being concentrated by its attraction 
for intervening clouds within air sufficiently dense to act as an elec- 
tric, assumes the diffuse form which characterizes that phenomenon. 
Falling stars may consist of electric matter, in transitu between one 
portion of the celestial electric ocean and another, tending to restore 
the equilibrium when disturbed. They may; in fact, consist of elec- 
tric matter, passing from one mass of moisture to another ; as it may 
be imagined that in an expanse so vast, in which the tension is so 
low, there may be a great diversity as respects the quantity of mois- 
ture existing in different parts. Indeed, it may be conceived that at 
times the clouds, insulated from each other, may make their recipro- 
cal discharges through the region occupied by the celestial ocean. 
