390 Mr. RedfieUPs Notice of Dr. Hards 



around which the upward currents prevail, there may be a calm." 

 We have just seen the incompatibility of such inward and up- 

 ward movements with diminished pressure. And how is the 

 fast accumulating resistance to the concentrating mass, before it 

 reaches "the base of the ascending column," to be overcome? 

 And, in such rapid concentration towards the "base" of the "co- 

 lumn," how is the conservation of areas or spaces to be main- 

 tained ? U 



Dr. Hare next treats of " focal areas" of hurricanes and torna- 

 does, in a manner implying that these areas may " be respectively 

 bases of ascending columns moving with equal velocities," and 

 says, " the focal area of the Providence tornado was estimated 

 [by Mr. Allen] to be three hundred feet in diameter." But it was 

 the whole visible form "of the tornado on the river" to which 

 Mr. Allen ascribed this diameter. Without knowing definitely 

 what is meant by "focal area," it appears sufficient to say, that 

 so long as gravitation exists, no " upward columnar current of 

 ten thousand feet diameter" can long need a concentric lateral 

 supply at its base, moving " inwards with the velocity of one 

 hundred miles per hour ;" whether itself be moving " upwards" 

 at the same or any other rate. 



Surely, some experimental philosopher should contrive to mark 

 the " upward" progress of these vast anti-gravitating columns 

 by means of air-bags, parachutes, or other visible objects. And 

 here I mean not the slightest disrespect to my opponent, nor to 

 his calculations " founded on the idea of the confluence of the 

 air equally from all points of the periphery." But I have long 

 had an irrepressible desire to find tangible evidence of the alleged 

 " up-moving" masses or columns in the atmosphere ; of which 

 even the movements of the clouds afford us no satisfactory indi- 

 cations* (par. 119-121, et seq.) 



I need not further expose the fallacy of the hypothesis of " the 

 inward suction," in the alleged centripetal storm ; which force is 

 represented (par. 122) as having the " greatest violence" near the 

 border of the " focal area," where " the confluent currents," we are 

 told, " must be deflected upwards," perhaps by the " deficiency" 

 of pressure, "and thus the central space must escape their influ- 

 ence ;" — from which we must infer, that the entire upward deflec- 

 tion of the storm, at the zone of its " greatest violence," and not- 



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