EXTRACTS FROM M. PELTIER. 367 



isolated clouds which swim in a pure and serene sky. Both 

 before and after their arrival, the atmosphere is calm, but 

 at their approach, violent gusts arise, coming from all parts ; 

 the rain itself often terminates the phenomena, and when the 

 cloud passes away to a distance, the serenity of the heaven 

 returns. From this necessity of referring to the visible part 

 of the meteor every thing which had an unknown cause, 

 they have attributed to the agitation of the air a power al- 

 together miraculous. The tearing up of floors and pave- 

 ments, the lifting of earth and foundations, cannot be ex- 

 plained by blasts of wind, however violent they may be. 

 A whirlwind would raise up the water and not distil it, to 

 form immediately ascending clouds, as we see around the 

 water spout ; never could it evaporate the water beyond its 

 point of saturation : consequently, never would the vapor 

 formed become immediately visible. The effect is local and 

 of little extent in the midst of a calm in surrounding re- 

 gions. The dilatations and contractions which they assign 

 for cause in the atmosphere, never could produce those sud- 

 den blasts : the electric discharges alone are able to produce 

 such effects ; they alone can pass from repose to action, from 

 attraction to repulsion in a moment ; they alone can evapo- 

 rate suddenly a considerable quantity of water, beyond the 

 saturation of the ambient air, and cool the atmosphere and 

 the clouds by evaporating again the opaque vapors ; they 

 alone can transport trees and houses contrary to the wind, 

 and produce all these effects, when hardly a breath of air is 

 felt ; these alone could wilt the leaves, crisp them, and red- 

 den them on the sides next the spout, and leave them un- 

 touched on the opposite side. (p. 142.) 



191. Mr. Tilloch has inserted an account of a spout, 

 which appeared on the 17th of June, 1817, at Kentish-Town, 

 marching from east to west, and which was seen by the 

 Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



This spout was formed of udders of cloud grouped to- 



