Ore] AND SYMBOLS. 137 



Everything Great is Composed of the Small. 



Let us contemplate a drop of rain, multiplied rain-drops, 

 and their influence. Few persons have ever taken the trouble 

 to compute how much the fall of a single inch of rain over an 

 extensive region in the sea, or how much the change of even 

 two or three degrees of temperature over a few thousand square 

 miles of its surface, tends to disturb its equilibrium, and con- 

 sequently to cause an aqueous palpitation that is felt from the 

 equator to the poles. Let us illustrate by an example : The 

 surface of the Atlantic Ocean covers an area of about twenty- 

 five millions of square miles. Now let us take one-fifth of 

 this area, and suppose a fall of rain one inch deep to take 

 place over it. This rain would weigh three hundred and 

 sixty thousand millions of tons ; and the salt which, as water, 

 it held in solution in the sea, and which, when that water was 

 taken up as vapour, was left behind to disturb equilibrium, 

 weighed sixteen millions more of tons, or nearly twice as 

 much as all the ships in the world could carry at a cargo each. 

 It might fall in an hour, or it might fall in a day ; but occupy 

 what time it might in falling, this rain is calculated to exert so 

 much force which is inconceivably great in disturbing the 

 equilibrium of the ocean. If all the water discharged by the 

 Mississippi River during the year were taken up in one mighty 

 measure, and cast into the ocean at one effort, it would not 

 make a greater disturbance in the equilibrium than would the 

 fall of rain supposed. Now this is for but one-fifth of the 

 Atlantic, and the area of the Atlantic is about one-fifth of the 

 sea area of the world ; and the estimated fall of rain was but 

 one inch, whereas the average for the year is sixty inches, but 

 we will assume it for the sea to be no more than thirty inches. 

 In the aggregate, and on an average, then, such a disturbance 

 in the equilibrium of the whole ocean as is here supposed 

 occurs seven hundred and fifty times a year, or at the rate of 

 once in twelve hours. When we reflect that this mighty work 

 is accomplished by multiplied rain-drops, we cannot but re- 

 member the old Latin proverb, that " Everything great is com- 



