PROFESSOR LOOMIS'S STORM. 287 



wind east of the mountain. The air, however, which 

 crossed the mountain, containing in it the latent caloric 

 which it had just received, being at least 30 hotter than 

 air ordinarily is at that height, would not descend to the 

 valley and be a "cold, dry" wind, as Professor Loomis 

 thinks; it would indeed be dry, if it descended, but being 

 warmer and lighter than the air through which it would 

 have to pass, it would not descend ; but flow off in all di- 

 rections towards the east, the north, and the south. At the 

 same time much of the air below would flow out in the 

 same directions, and the effect of this would be to permit the 

 whole upper stratum of air containing the latent caloric to 

 descend to a lower level than it would otherwise have occu- 

 pied. During this process the annulus of the storm would 

 be extending further and further to the east of the mountain, 

 causing a rise of the barometer under its pressure, and final- 

 ly, on the ceasing of the storm on the west side of the moun- 

 tains, the air at the surface of the earth within the annulus 

 would be forced back towards the mountains j there it would 

 ascend, and if it contained the suitable quantity of vapor, 

 the process of cloud-forming would commence, and thus a 

 new storm would be generated on the east side of the 

 mountains. 



If I have not expressed the principle very clearly how a 

 storm on the west side of the Rocky Mountains would be 

 the means of generating one on the east side, let any one 

 consider for himself, what would be the result of a column 

 of air being expanded by heat, on the west side of the 

 mountains till it stood three or four miles higher, than a 

 column on the east side, and he will perceive, by his own 

 intellect, that there is some reason for the conclusion above. 



He will readily see also, that a wind, blowing across the 

 Rocky Mountains from west to east, pioducing rain on the 

 west side, cannot become a "cold wind on the east." 



He might indeed conclude, that it would produce no effect 



