﻿380 
  ON 
  THE 
  CAUSES 
  OF 
  

  

  electrified 
  differently 
  from 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  terrestrial 
  electric 
  

   ocean. 
  

  

  The 
  phenomena 
  of 
  thunder 
  storms 
  may 
  arise, 
  from 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  

   electricity 
  from 
  one 
  electric 
  ocean 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  being 
  facilitated 
  by 
  

   an 
  intervening 
  accumulation 
  of 
  the 
  clouds, 
  or 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  dis- 
  

   charges 
  from 
  one 
  insulated 
  congeries 
  of 
  clouds 
  to 
  another 
  through 
  the 
  

   earth. 
  

  

  The 
  aurora 
  borealis 
  may 
  arise 
  from 
  discharges 
  from 
  one 
  ocean 
  to 
  

   the 
  other 
  of 
  electricity, 
  which, 
  not 
  being 
  concentrated 
  by 
  its 
  attraction 
  

   for 
  intervening 
  clouds 
  within 
  air 
  sufficiently 
  dense 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  an 
  elec- 
  

   tric, 
  assumes 
  the 
  diffuse 
  form 
  which 
  characterizes 
  that 
  phenomenon. 
  

  

  Falling 
  stars 
  may 
  consist 
  of 
  electric 
  matter, 
  in 
  transitu 
  between 
  one 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  celestial 
  electric 
  ocean 
  and 
  another, 
  tending 
  to 
  restore 
  

   the 
  equilibrium 
  when 
  disturbed. 
  They 
  may, 
  in 
  fact, 
  consist 
  of 
  elec- 
  

   tric 
  matter, 
  passing 
  from 
  one 
  mass 
  of 
  moisture 
  to 
  another 
  ; 
  as 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   imagined 
  that 
  in 
  an 
  expanse 
  so 
  vast, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  tension 
  is 
  so 
  low, 
  

   there 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  great 
  diversity 
  as 
  respects 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  moisture 
  

   existing 
  in 
  different 
  parts. 
  Indeed, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  conceived 
  that 
  at 
  times 
  

   the 
  clouds, 
  insulated 
  from 
  each 
  other, 
  may 
  make 
  their 
  reciprocal 
  dis- 
  

   charges 
  through 
  the 
  region 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  celestial 
  ocean. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  been 
  informed 
  by 
  my 
  intelligent 
  friend, 
  Mr 
  Quinby, 
  who 
  

   resided 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  in 
  Peru, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  fifteen 
  thousand 
  feet 
  

   above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  ocean, 
  that 
  the 
  clouds 
  in 
  that 
  elevated 
  region 
  

   are 
  far 
  more 
  electric 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  country 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  latitude 
  : 
  

   and 
  that, 
  on 
  this 
  account, 
  it 
  was 
  considered 
  as 
  dangerous, 
  at 
  times, 
  to 
  

   travel 
  in 
  the 
  "sierras" 
  or 
  table 
  land. 
  Possibly 
  thunder 
  storms 
  are 
  

   more 
  frequent 
  in 
  warm 
  weather, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  greater 
  eleva- 
  

   tion 
  which 
  the 
  clouds 
  then 
  attain, 
  and 
  their 
  consequent 
  approximation 
  

   to 
  the 
  celestial 
  ocean 
  of 
  electricity. 
  

  

  Consistently 
  with 
  the 
  hypothesis 
  which 
  I 
  suggested 
  in 
  my 
  essay 
  on 
  

   the 
  gales 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  the 
  enduring 
  rains 
  which 
  accompany 
  

   those 
  gales 
  are 
  attributed 
  to 
  the 
  contact 
  of 
  an 
  upper 
  warm 
  and 
  moist 
  

   current 
  of 
  air, 
  with 
  a 
  lower 
  current 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  fluid 
  at 
  an 
  inferior 
  

   temperature, 
  and 
  moving 
  in 
  an 
  opposite 
  direction. 
  It 
  would 
  follow 
  

   that, 
  on 
  such 
  occasions, 
  the 
  electricity 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  region 
  would 
  be 
  

   diffused 
  among 
  the 
  clouds 
  within 
  the 
  upper 
  stratum, 
  without 
  reaching 
  

  

  