Mr. Redfield’s Reply to Dr. Hare. 
and limited occurrence, appears to be a constant attribute of the 
tornado ; although not always exhibited with uniform intensity 
and effect in its path, owing apparently, to the frequent rising or 
narrowing of the vortex, and perhaps other causes. 
In his paper as found in the English Journal, Dr Hare says,— 
“A fact which is admitted by Mr. Redfield, was considered by 
Espy and Bache, as well as mysélf, to be irreconcilable with the 
idea that a general whirling motion is essential to tornadoes. I 
allude to the circumstance, that when several trees were pros- 
trated one upon the other, the uppermost was found to have fallen 
with the top directed towards the point towards which the meteor 
was moving; while the direction in which the lowermost trees 
were found to have fallen indicated that they were overthrown 
by a force in a direction precisely the opposite of that which had 
operated upon those above mentioned.” —Phil. Mag. [24.] 
It is an error to allege that I have “admitted” a fact such as is 
here stated. On the contrary, in careful explorations made on 
foot, through an aggregate extent of more than fifty miles of the 
tracks of various tornadoes, I have never met with such “a fact,” 
or combination of facts, as Dr. Hare describes. In all the cases 
that I have met with in which trees have fallen one upon another, 
if their tops pointed in opposite or nearly opposite directions, these 
directions have never been parallel to the course pursued by the 
tornado ; but always in directions more or less transverse to the 
same: and I consider ty opposing allegation as one of the chief 
errors of my opponen 
The trees which as fallin in directions which are more or 
less backward from the course pursued by the tornado, are almost 
-invariably found on the left side of the track, exterior to the line 
of its axis: But few of these point directly backward, and still 
fewer can be found near the axis, as the hypothesis of my oppo- 
nents requires. Of the trees found with their tops pointing di- 
rectly forward, or nearly so, a small number have been seen on 
or near the right margin of the track, with appearances which 
showed them to lie as they first fell; a fact which seems equally 
fatal to their hypothesis. Some trees, along and near the line of 
the axis, are, however, found pointing in this onward direction, 
and much stress has been laid on this fact, by one of my oppo- 
nents: But it appears, on examination, that in all these cases the 
trees have been torn or twisted from the transverse position in 
