230 EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATE CABINET. 



Farther west as Charleston, South-Carolina, is than Boston, it will yet 

 sooner feel the storm, for two reasons. The first is that the ocean-wind there 

 is hotter in comparison with the land-air than it is at the north, so that 

 their mixture will the soonest condense into rain-clouds ; and the second is 

 that the sea-wind at the south commences earlier, is more nearly from the 

 east there, and will sooner come to the storm-making point ; while at the 

 north the sea-wind is more nearly from the northeast, and blows in a line 

 nearly parallel to the coast, and hence must be longer in coming to the 

 point of change requisite for storm. For these reasons, a northeast storm 

 must begin at the south, and make its progress northward along the coast, 

 as it is known generally to do. 



The phenomena of our storms do not indicate that they have the form of 

 cyclones^ or are driven by a rotatory wind on a line ; but they appear to 

 have their central line nearly straight and lying not much inclined to a 

 meridian, with their forward direction on a parallel of latitude and some- 

 what inclined to it, but sometimes quite oblique to the north or south of 

 such parallel. Such is E spy's representation in his Fourth Meteorological 

 Report, 1857. His figures of numerous storms, drawn from the descriptions 

 of various observers on the grounds they passed over, together with accounts 

 of the winds, barometer and thermometer at the time, represent the width 

 of the storms from north to south as very difi"erent (as already noticed in 

 this paper), as well as their length from west to east. The width varied from 

 5 degrees of latitude, 300 miles, to 8, 10, 15 and 18 degrees of latitude, 

 or the largest 1080 miles. The width of one, west of the Mississippi river, 

 extended from near the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Superior. The length of 

 the storm, or distance traversed from west to east, is also various. The last 

 one just mentioned traversed from west of the Mississippi, laterally north- 

 wards across the States and beyond Nova-Scotia, the whole distance being 

 probably above twelve hundred (1200) miles. 



Finally : Let these facts and laws be admitted, and the question arises, 

 Who will be able, with the aid of thermometer and barometer and all this 

 knowledge, to foretell what the weather of to-morrow will be and must be ? 

 The wisest among us know not yet the minute actions of the causes of change 

 by which great ultimate results are produced. What and where are the ac- 

 tivities, under the operation of which this stinging northwester after the 

 snowstorm shall cease this night, and the warm southeaster breathe upon 

 us to-morrow, and end by pouring its liquid treasures " alike upon the just 

 and the unjust " ere the day closes ? — Though much has been attained, 

 more is necessary ; and man must discover it. 



