318 THE INDIAN SUMMER. 



It is surprising that the writer, after making these 

 observations, should resort to some unintelligible reason- 

 ing about the trade- winds, and certain assumed electric 

 phenomena, to account for the Indian Summer. I can 

 easily believe that before the encroachments upon the 

 American forest were very extensive, this halcyon period 

 of autumn may have occurred every year with great 

 regularity. But since the clearing is almost universal, 

 these conditions have been entirely changed. During the 

 primitive state of the forest, its sudden denudation pro- 

 duced a more complete revolution on the face of the 

 country than could possibly happen at the present time. 

 The clearing of the woods has also cast down the barriers 

 that impeded the circulation of the winds ; at present these 

 winds, sweeping freely over the continent, would counter- 

 act any influences, whatever they might be, that would 

 produce an Indian Summer in any locality. 



The true Indian Summer was a period of very mild 

 weather, lasting from ten to fifteen days, and accom- 

 panied neither by wind nor rain. It has been incorrectly 

 described by certain writers as attended with fog. The 

 sky, though somewhat dim, was not obscured by vapor, 

 but by a sort of ruddy haze, that veiled the prospect, as 

 it often will during a series of warm, still days happen- 

 ing at any season. I draw my inferences from what I 

 have reason to consider the most authentic accounts. The 

 air was dry ; and it could not have been otherwise. If it 

 were moist, the increased radiation would soon dissipate 

 the heat and put an end to the Indian Summer, which 

 was never known to survive a copious and extensive fall 

 of rain. The atmosphere was described as being obscured 

 by smoke, rather than vapor, and this was most apparent 

 in the latter part of the day. This smoky atmosphere 

 has led some writers to suppose the whole phenomenon 

 to be caused by fires in the woods. 



