Chap 1. 



DESCRIPTIVE GEOGRAPHY. 



21 



CLIMATE OF AMERICA AND EUROPE. 



CAUSES OF DIFFERENCE. 



sensible difterence between the tempera- 

 ture of the northern and southern parts, 

 and there is a difterence still more mark- 

 ed between the elevated and mountainous 

 parts and the lower country along our 

 lakes and rivers; but observations are too 

 limited to enable us to form any accurate 

 comparison between the ditferent sections 

 of the state. ^ Between the climate of this 

 state and that of those portions of other 

 states, lying in the same latitude, there is 

 no material difference, with the excep- 

 tion, perhaps, of the sea-coast of New 

 Hampshire and Maine, whose mean an- 

 nual temperature may be a little higher. 

 But between Vermont and the countries 

 of Europe, lying in the same latitude, 

 there is a remarkable difference, the tem- 

 perature of the latter being no less than 

 Il^S higher than ours; and there is a 

 like contrast, increasing towards the 

 north, between the whole western coast 

 of Europe and the eastern coast of North 

 America. 



This singular contrast was observed by 

 the earliest navigators, who visited the 

 coast of North America, and has since 

 been confirmed by numerous meteorolog- 



* As the extremes of heat ami cold were not no- 

 ted in the preceding meteorological tables, we liave 

 collected in the following cable the extremes of 

 cold which have been entered at snn-rise upon 

 journals kept at three different places within the 

 Btate since 1829. Degrees in all cases below zero. 



It would appear from various observations and 

 circumstances, that during calm weather, when 

 the sun does not shine, the temperature of vallies 

 and low situations is lower than that of the high 

 lands, but in windy weather and when the sun 

 shines, it is coldest on the high lands. In confir- 

 mation of this statement, in parti we give the fol- 

 lowing extract of a letter to the author from the 

 Hon. Elijah Paine, of Williamstovvn, (see page.s 9 

 and 10.) " I have found," says he, " that in ex- 

 tremely cold, still weather, the mercury in the 

 thermometer at Burlington, Slontpelier, at North- 

 field, on Dog river, on the low lands at the 

 meeting-house in this town, at Woodstock, Hano- 

 ver, N. H., and even at Albany, N. Y., has some- 

 times been 14 degrees lower than in mine. Pome- 

 times, even in March, I have found the difference 

 equally great, when the wind was light and the 

 weather very cool fur the season. But the reverse 

 is the case in extremely cold, windy weather. I 

 have known my thermometer in such weather 11 

 degrees lower than some of those I have men- 

 >tioned." 



ical observations. A comparison of the 

 journals kept in this country with those 

 kept in Europe shows us that the climate 

 of Vermont, which lies in the latitude of 

 the southern part of France, is as cold as 

 that of Denmark, situated 11 or 12" fur- 

 ther norih. The following table exhibits 

 pretty nearly the mean temperatures a- 

 long the coasts of the two continents, with 

 the difterences, from the 30th to the 6Uth 

 degree of latitude. 



Talle. 



A contrast so remarkable, as is exhibit- 

 ed in the preceding table, has been the 

 source of much speculation, but, as it ap- 

 pears to us, without throwing much light 

 upon the true cause of the phenomenon. 



Among the earliest writers who at- 

 tempted to account for it was Father Bres- 

 ani, an Italian Jesuit, who spent most of 

 his life in Canada. He says that " a cer- 

 tain mixture of dry and moist makes ice, 

 and that in Canada there is a remarkable 

 mixture of water and dry sandy soil ; and 

 hence the long duration of cold and orreat 

 quantities of snow." To this he adds an- 

 other cause, which is " the neighborhood 

 of the northern sea, which is covered 

 with monstrous heaps of ice, more than 

 8 months of the year." FatherCharlevoix, 

 who visited Canada in 1720, and from 

 whose travels the forgoing opinions of 

 Bresani are taken, saj's* that, in his opin- 

 ion," " no person has explained the cause, 

 why this country is so much colder than 

 France in the same latitude." "Most 

 writers," he continues, "attribute it to 

 the snow lying so long and deep on the 

 ground. But this only makes the difficul- 

 ty worse. Whence those great quanti- 

 ties of snow .''" His own opinion is that 

 the cold and snow are to be attributed to 

 the mountains, woods and lakes. Many 

 European writers have supposed the great 

 lakes, which abound in the country, to 

 be the cause of the coldness of our cli- 

 mate ; while others have imagined that 

 there must be a chain of very hiirh moun- 

 tains in the interior of the continent, run- 

 ning from southwest to northeast, which 

 produce the coldness of our north wester- 

 ly winds. Doct. Dwight supposes these 



* Charlevoix's Travel* in America, Vol, 1. p. 13C* 



