62 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



The quantity of rain v^hich falls at those 

 places in North America where meteorological 

 observations have been made, has been found 

 to be more than double to that which p;eneraily 

 falls in the same latitude in Europe. We can- 

 not well account for this, without supposing 

 that the immense forests of America, supply a 

 larger quantity of water for the formation of 

 clouds, than the more cultivated countries of 

 Europe. Many parts of America do liowever, 

 suffer severely by drought : this is very seldom 

 the case in Vermont. The lands are naturally 

 moist, the mountains supply water for regular 

 rains, and the heat of the sun is not so intense 

 as suddenly to disperse the vapours, dry up the 

 waters, or parch the land. These kinds of ob- 

 servations vvill be reduced to the smallest com- 

 pass, and gixQ the most complete comparative 

 view, by exhibiting them in the iorm of a gene- 

 ral table. 



