478 APPENDIX. 



gan their tnrnads Into the Roman provinces was about the year 2it, Ae« 

 cording to this computation, the change of climate in Germany has been 

 between li and i6dc;irees, in 15 and a half centuries. 



The oiher inftance mentioned by the hiflorian, and which fcrvcs to mark 

 the climate in Germany in the time of Caifar, was the appearance &* the 

 reindeer. The varmert countries iti which he now refiHes, are Sweden, 

 Rujria & Lapland. From theobfervations made at ^bo, latitude 60" — 27' 

 north, from the year 17.50 to 1761, the mean heat in the month o\ January, 

 was found to be 19'', ^8; that of February, was 21" 38. M Peterfburg, 

 latitude 59° — ,56' north, from the year i76ito 1777 the mean heat in Jan- 

 uary, was lo'* ; in February, the mean heat wa.s 16^*, 46. The mean of 

 ihefe, 14**, 8 in January, and 18''. 9 in February, is the temperatuie of the 

 ■winter in that partof the globe.* I hefe are the warmed climates in which' 

 the reindeer does now fubfift. It may theieforc with much probability be 

 inferred, that this was the temperature of the German winter in the days 

 of Caefar, 18 and a half cc-ntuties ago. Hence the alteration of climate in 

 Germany du'ing that fpace of time, has been about 16 decrees. It feems 

 to be a confirmation of the truth arid propriety of ihele different methods 

 <>f computation, that thcv bo'h afford much the fame refult. 

 ' From thefe accounts it appears wiih a d;'cilive evidence, that the climate. 

 In the courfe of fevcral centuries, has rema'kably changed at Paleliine, in 

 Italy, around the Euxine fea, at the Alps, and throughout all Germany. 

 Through all this vad extent of country, the climate is now become 16 or 17 

 degrees warmer than it was 18 centuries ago. The continent of America 

 in fimilar latitudes, is ftiil (ubjeft to a great degree of cold. If the meteo« 

 rological obfervations which have been made at Williamfburg, Cambridge, 

 Quebec and Hudfon's Bay in America, be compared wi.h thofe which 

 have been made at Algiers, Rome, Poifliers and Solyfkamfki, places whofe 

 latitudes are nearly equal ;+ it will be found that the European continent 

 is now 12 degrees warmer than that of America. Many inquiries and 

 fpccu'ations have been propo'ed to account for this extreme cild of Ameri- 

 ca. From the accounts which have been mentioned, it appears that 17 or 

 18 centuries ago, the continent of Europe, inftead of being 12 degrees 

 ■warmer, was ^ubjeft to a cold 4 or 5 degrees greater, than that which nov/ 

 takes place on the continent of America. The proper inquiries therefore 

 ftem to be, whence is it [hat the European continent is become fo much 

 more mild and temoerate than that of America ? — Whe'her the latter will 

 not in a courfe of time become equally warm and temperate as the for- 

 mer ? — Whether the climates of both will not gradually become more 

 equal, uniform and moderate, than they now are ? — And. whether culti- 

 vatioii is fufficient to account for thefe changes ? For whatever the caufe 

 may be. the faft feems to be certain, the heat of all that part of the earth, of 

 which wc have any ancient accounts, has been increafing from the earlieft 

 ages. 



* Kirwan's cflimate. 



•} Algiers, latitude 36" -49' 

 Rome 41°— 54' 



Poicliers 46^ — 39' 



Solyfkamfkt ^g* 



