88 General A. W. Greehj — Geograpliy of the Air. 



yerence de Bort, the veiy able assistant of Professor Mascart in 

 France, who believes that the recurring weather changes can be 

 reduced to types, and who has devoted his perspicacit}^, talents 

 and industry to the solution of the problem for France in par- 

 ticular and Europe in general. 



■ While perhaps no scientist of high standing now invokes the 

 moon's phases as potent factors in weather changes, yet the 

 influence of atmospheric electricity is believed by some to 

 possibly dominate the weather, while again others turn to 

 terrestrial or interplanetary magnetism as the essential basis. 

 • Not a few distinguished pliA^sicists refer the whole question 

 directly to the radiative energy of the sun, which all, however, 

 necessarily admit as an ultimate and predominating cause. 

 AVhen, however, we come to particularly apply the principle, a 

 distinguished English astronomer claimed that the rainfall of 

 India (which may be said to be the weather of that country) 

 follows in its phases the curve of sunspots. Immediately the 

 meteorological reporter, Mr. Blanford, proved that not only 

 was this not true of the locality directly referred to, but that in 

 India there Was no year in which extended areas of country did 

 not present striking contrasts as to precipitation, excesses in 

 sinne provinces and marked deficiencies in others. 



It is significant that in an article of 45 pages in the Encyclo- 

 paedia Britannica, Buchan gives no law for any meteorological 

 phenomena, and says, referring to the formulas of Ferrel, INIohn, 

 Hann, Everett and others, that in " The development of the law of 

 the relation of the wind's velocit}^ to the barometric gradients," 

 the evident inexactness of the various investigations justify Stra- 

 chan's criticism that '' The theoretical values do not accord with 

 the actual values." 



Delauney, in announcing a new theory of storms, says that 

 meteorology has not yet emerged from the domain of observa- 

 tion, is now unprogressive, and, in fact, under present methods 

 has reached its limits as a science. Further progress is only 

 possiljle b}^ ascertaining the causes of meteorological disturb- 

 ances and in defining the fixed laws which. bring about weather 

 changes. Similar opinions could be drawn from other author- 

 ities if time and space permittted. 



When the duties of forecasting storms devolved by Congres- 

 sional joint resolution of February 9, 1870, on the War depart- 

 ment, its success was by many considered most doubtful, espe- 



