﻿THE 
  TORNADO, 
  OR 
  WATER 
  SPOUT. 
  379 
  

  

  about 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  formed, 
  from 
  the 
  pressure 
  of 
  the 
  fluid 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  induced, 
  must 
  be 
  familiar 
  to 
  every 
  observer. 
  In 
  fact, 
  Frank- 
  

   lin 
  ascribed 
  the 
  water 
  spout 
  to 
  a 
  whirlwind 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  concourse 
  

   of 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  to 
  a 
  given 
  point. 
  His 
  hypothesis 
  was, 
  as 
  I 
  conceive, 
  

   unsatisfactory, 
  because 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  assign 
  any 
  adequate 
  cause 
  for 
  the 
  con- 
  

   centration 
  of 
  the 
  wind, 
  or 
  for 
  the 
  hiatus 
  which 
  was 
  presumed 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  cause. 
  This 
  deficiency 
  is 
  supplied, 
  if 
  my 
  suggestions 
  be 
  correct. 
  

  

  One 
  fact, 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  myself 
  a 
  witness, 
  cannot 
  be 
  explained 
  with- 
  

   out 
  supposing 
  a 
  gyratory 
  force. 
  About 
  six 
  feet 
  of 
  a 
  brick 
  chimney, 
  

   without 
  being 
  thrown 
  down, 
  were 
  so 
  twisted 
  on 
  the 
  remaining 
  inferior 
  

   portion 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  left 
  with 
  its 
  corners 
  projecting. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  hardly 
  deemed 
  it 
  necessary 
  to 
  advert 
  to 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   gressive 
  motion 
  of 
  a 
  tornado, 
  since 
  that 
  would 
  appear 
  evidently 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  current 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  within 
  which 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  created. 
  

  

  I 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  electrical 
  excitement 
  which 
  gives 
  rise 
  to 
  atmos- 
  

   pheric 
  discharges 
  of 
  electricity, 
  in 
  whatever 
  form 
  they 
  may 
  occur, 
  is 
  

   usually 
  ascribed 
  to 
  the 
  chemical 
  changes 
  taking 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  atmos- 
  

   phere 
  ; 
  especially 
  the 
  formation 
  or 
  condensation 
  of 
  vapour. 
  

  

  Another 
  view 
  of 
  this 
  subject 
  has 
  suggested 
  itself 
  to 
  my 
  mind. 
  It 
  

   is 
  known 
  that 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  acts 
  generally 
  as 
  an 
  electric, 
  while 
  the 
  

   earth 
  acts 
  as 
  a 
  conductor 
  of 
  electricity: 
  and 
  since 
  the 
  electric 
  fluid 
  

   passes 
  through 
  an 
  exhausted 
  receiver 
  with 
  great 
  facility, 
  it 
  results 
  that 
  

   the 
  rare 
  medium 
  which 
  exists 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  elevation, 
  is 
  equivalent 
  to 
  an- 
  

   other 
  conductor. 
  Hence 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  enormous 
  con- 
  

   centric 
  spaces, 
  of 
  which 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  intermediate 
  contains 
  an 
  electric, 
  to 
  

   which 
  the 
  others 
  may 
  act 
  as 
  coatings. 
  When 
  the 
  tendency 
  of 
  electric 
  

   fluid 
  to 
  preserve 
  an 
  equilibrium 
  is 
  taken 
  into 
  view, 
  I 
  believe 
  myself 
  justified 
  

   in 
  the 
  inference, 
  that 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  space 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  globe, 
  but 
  the 
  

   region 
  beyond 
  our 
  atmosphere, 
  or 
  where 
  the 
  air 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  rare 
  to 
  act 
  

   as 
  a 
  conductor, 
  must 
  abound 
  with 
  electricity. 
  Thus 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  

   is 
  situated 
  betw 
  r 
  een 
  two 
  oceans 
  of 
  electricity, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  tension 
  may 
  

   often 
  be 
  different. 
  Between 
  these 
  electric 
  oceans, 
  the 
  clouds, 
  floating 
  

   in 
  the 
  non-conducting 
  air, 
  must 
  act 
  as 
  movable 
  insulated 
  conductors 
  ; 
  

   and 
  from 
  the 
  excitement 
  consequent 
  upon 
  induction, 
  chemical 
  changes, 
  

   or 
  their 
  proximity 
  to 
  the 
  celestial 
  electric 
  ocean, 
  must 
  be 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  

  

  