ARTIFICIAL RAINS. 509 



in height, but exceedingly inflammable, giving a bright 

 light; it is always dry and like tinder at this season of the 

 year ; the caravan is preceded and followed by men with 

 torches, who set this grass on fire ; it then burns on both 

 sides along their path, producing the most singular and 

 splendid effect. Strange stories are told of the saints who 

 have furnished this district with a plant so admirably 

 adapted to give splendor to this nightly pilgrimage of devo- 

 tion. Strange stories are also told of the furious storms and 

 the torrents of rain that impious Giouls have aroused in the 

 welkin to quench the flame that guided the pilgrim on his 

 pious way. Such a storm overtook the caravan with which 

 my faithful Hadji went a sinner, and returned a saint. 



KANAWHA COURT HOUSE, July 17, 1839. 



212. SIR, Some months ago I was in company with 

 Mr. Thomas Matthews, one of our old and respectable citi- 

 zens. In the course of conversation he related to me the 

 following fact. " When I was a young man, in the early 

 settlement of Kentucky, I went to see a friend who had ten 

 acres of land which had been covered with a luxuriant 

 growth of timber,- cut while in the leaf; the brush had been 

 piled, and had remained so, until the whole had become 

 very dry. In the month of August, after a long dry season, 

 it was proposed to set fire to the "clearing;" the day was 

 clear, not a cloud to be seen, and was selected for its calm- 

 ness, for fear the fire would damage other property. Well, 

 all hands were called, fire obtained, many of us went to 

 work, the leaves were so dry the brush ignited with great 

 rapidity; in a few minutes the whole circle of the clearing 

 was on fire,; very soon a strong wind set in from all points 

 of the compass; the smoke and flame assumed an upward 

 gyral motion ('like a whirlwind]} a cloud was soon form- 

 ed, and a fine rain fell for some miles around. I was con- 

 vinced that rain was produced by that are/' 



