356 Mr. Redfield's Reply to Dr. Hare, 



character ? To me, the facts established by all the strict ob- 

 servations which have been made and properly stated, pro- 

 claim the affirmative. We shall probably find, on a strict 

 examination, that even the surveys of Prof. Bache, though 

 not comprising all the particulars which I deem essential to 

 a right view of the case, may yet be best explauied by ad- 

 mitting a general and continued whirlwind action. 



Dr. Hare next adduces an imperfect quotation on the law 

 of atmospheric circulation, as depending on the earth's rota- 

 tion, centrifugal action, &c. ; and presumes me to mean, " that 

 the centrifugal force communicated to the air at the equator, 

 causes it to rise and give place to those portions of the atmo- 

 sphere," from adjacent latitudes, which " have less rotary 

 motion ;" and proceeds to comment on this presumption. I 

 beg leave to assure Dr. Hare that he has greatly misappre- 

 hended my meaning; and furthermore, that I have never 

 found any evidence of the supposed general ascent of the air 

 from the lower to the upper atmosphere in the equatorial re- 

 gions. 



In my first essay, the prevalence of westerly winds in the 

 upper regions of the atmosphere was incidentally and par- 

 tially ascribed to the deflection of the trade-winds by moun- 

 tains. Dr. Hare alleges that this explanation harmonizes 

 with the theory of Halley. He adds, " In fact, as the water 

 accumulated by these winds in the Gulf of Mexico is pro- 

 ductive of a gulf-stream, is it not reasonable that there should 

 be an aerial accumulation and current corresponding with 

 that of the aqueous current above mentioned ?" This comes 

 nearer to my views of the course of circulation in the atmo- 

 sphere, but does not so well accord with the conmion theory of 

 the trade-winds. That the alleged accumulation of water in 

 the Gulf of Mexico by the trade-winds is the main cause of 

 the gulf-stream. Dr. Hare may perhaps show hereafter. The 

 contrary would appear to have been settled by the levelings 

 which have already been obtained. 



Dr. Hare intimates that the trade-winds " cannot be ex- 

 plained without the agency of temperature;" he alleges also 

 that I "admit of no other cause of atmospheric currents be- 

 sides that of gravitation ;'* ana he inquires, " what other effect 

 could gravitation have, in the absence of calorific and electrical 

 reaction, unless that of producing a state of inert quiescence ?" 

 He also speaks of my treating momentum as " the antagonist 

 of gravitation." (p. 424^, par. 7-10.) 



Now to all this I answer, — 1. That, to my apprehension, 

 the essential features of the trade-winds can be best explained 

 without assigning the agency of temperature as the chief 



