﻿THE 
  TORNADO, 
  OR 
  WATER 
  SPOUT. 
  383 
  

  

  were 
  like 
  the 
  reed 
  in 
  the 
  fable, 
  neither 
  uprooted 
  nor 
  overthrown. 
  This 
  

   unpleasant 
  effect 
  was 
  perceptible 
  when 
  I 
  visited 
  the 
  scene. 
  Each 
  leaf 
  

   was 
  only 
  partially 
  withered. 
  As 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  inconceivable 
  that 
  me- 
  

   chanical 
  laceration 
  could 
  have 
  thus 
  extended 
  itself 
  equably 
  among 
  the 
  

   foliage, 
  a 
  surmise 
  may 
  be 
  warranted 
  that 
  the 
  change 
  was 
  effected 
  by 
  

   the 
  electricity 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  tornado. 
  

  

  Concluding 
  Hemarks 
  hy 
  the 
  Author 
  of 
  the 
  Article. 
  

  

  I 
  ought, 
  perhaps, 
  sooner 
  to 
  have 
  acknowledged 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  aware 
  that 
  

   it 
  has 
  often 
  been 
  suggested 
  that 
  water 
  spouts 
  might 
  be 
  caused 
  by 
  elec- 
  

   tricity 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  conjecture 
  has 
  not, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  my 
  information 
  goes, 
  been 
  

   heretofore 
  supported 
  by 
  any 
  satisfactory 
  explanation 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  mode 
  in 
  

   which 
  such 
  a 
  tremendous 
  power 
  could 
  arise 
  from 
  that 
  source. 
  That 
  

   I 
  am 
  warranted 
  in 
  this 
  impression, 
  will, 
  I 
  trust, 
  appear 
  evident 
  from 
  

   the 
  circumstance 
  that 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  distinguished 
  among 
  the 
  late 
  

   writers 
  in 
  the 
  department 
  of 
  science 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  subject 
  belongs, 
  seem 
  

   to 
  admit, 
  or 
  to 
  demonstrate, 
  their 
  inability 
  to 
  afford 
  any 
  explanation. 
  

   I 
  allude 
  to 
  Pouillet, 
  and 
  Despretz. 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  treatise 
  on 
  meteorology, 
  Pouillet 
  introduces 
  two 
  narratives 
  

   respecting 
  tornadoes, 
  which 
  were 
  analogous 
  in 
  every 
  essential 
  point 
  to 
  

   that 
  of 
  New 
  Brunswick. 
  Especially 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  an 
  hiatus 
  is 
  proved 
  

   by 
  the 
  allegation 
  that 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  prostrated 
  houses 
  were 
  thrown 
  down 
  

   outwards. 
  A 
  labourer 
  was 
  first 
  urged 
  forwards, 
  in 
  the 
  next 
  place 
  

   lifted, 
  and 
  lastly 
  overthrown. 
  

  

  The 
  learned 
  and 
  ingenious 
  author 
  concludes 
  with 
  these 
  remarks. 
  

  

  "Comment 
  cette 
  puissance, 
  quelquefois 
  si 
  prodigieuse, 
  peut-elle 
  pren- 
  

   dre 
  naissance 
  au 
  milieu 
  des 
  airs 
  ? 
  C'est 
  une 
  question, 
  il 
  faut 
  de 
  dire, 
  

   a 
  laquelle 
  la 
  science 
  ne 
  peut 
  faire 
  aucune 
  reponse 
  precise. 
  De 
  toutes 
  

   les 
  conjectures 
  vagues 
  et 
  hasardees, 
  que 
  Ton 
  peut 
  faire 
  sur 
  l'origine 
  de 
  

   ce 
  meteore, 
  la 
  moins 
  invraisemblable 
  est 
  peut-etre 
  celle 
  que 
  le 
  regarde 
  

   comme 
  un 
  tourbillon 
  d'une 
  excessive 
  intensite. 
  Mais 
  une 
  discussion 
  

   sur 
  ce 
  point 
  nous 
  sembleraitprematuree; 
  il 
  faut 
  multiplier 
  les 
  observa- 
  

   tions, 
  et 
  constater 
  avec 
  plus 
  de 
  precision 
  toutes 
  les 
  circonstances 
  de 
  ces 
  

   phenomenes." 
  — 
  Elemens 
  de 
  Physique 
  Experimentale 
  et 
  de 
  Meteoro- 
  

   logie, 
  vol 
  2, 
  jo. 
  727. 
  

  

  