196 EFFECTS OF FOBEST VEGETATION ON CLIMATE. 



of forest in the liigli lands of the basin of the river. He says the 

 work of the axe was very extensive during the first twenty-five 

 years of the present century. — Extracts from a letter. J.B.G.S., 

 XIY, 328. 



A very striking instance of the mischief of clearing a forest 

 injudiciously was given to me by a correspondent in the "West 

 Indies, the late Kev. Landsdown Gruilding, of St. Vincent, some 

 of whose remarks I quoted in the year 1835, in a paper of similar 

 kind to the present. Writing in May, 1830, he says : — " The 

 inhabitants of Europe may well be astonished at the quantity of 

 rain which falls in hot countries. I shall subjoin an account 

 of the quantity measured in this island from 1823 to 1829 inclu- 

 sive." l^See Appendix JSfo. 4.] " This it must be remembered fell 

 on the sea coast. If measured on the mountains it would exceed 

 belief. I have several times slept on the high volcano of Morne 

 Soufriere during a night of storm and thunder, when the water 

 descended in a sheet, filling rapidly every empty wine bottle, and 

 ploughing up the volcanic gravel into innumerable gutters, 

 widening as they went into ravines of frightful depth. The 

 climate has been considerably affected by the continued industry 

 of man and his daily encroachment on the primeval forest. In 

 the valley of Mariaqua, two fine cataracts which used to adorn 

 the landscape and rush down the sides of Grand Bon Homme, 

 are now not visible after heavy rain ; and many portions of the 

 cultivated lands in dry seasons suffer to a lamentable extent. 

 So much has this change been felt, that laws have been passed 

 to prevent the cuttinj2j down of timber in certain directions under 

 heavy penalties. The planters in the suffering districts have 

 long since seen with alarm the fatal mistakes of their predecessors 

 in denuding the mountain ridges of their neighbourhood ; and 

 have, for many years, planted these parts again. But, in their 

 short-sighted folly, trees were selected which attained but a very 

 moderate height, merely because the wood was useful for cart 

 work. To have remedied the serious evil under which they and 

 their descendants were to suffer they should have entered th(? 

 forest and selected the seeds and sap]ings of these giant figs and 

 other fast growing native trees, which, though useless as timber, 

 would soon by their height and magnitude have attracted, 

 detained, and broken the rolling clouds, which now pass over 

 to the interminable and pathless woods." 



This valuable letter contains not only additional evidence of the 

 influence of forest vegetation on climate, but gives an excellent 

 hint as to the proper course to be pursued to remedy the effects 

 of injudicious destruction of trees in a country subject to high tem- 

 perature. In tlie 5th edition of LyelFs "Principles of Geology" 

 (very much changed in the 10th edition) we have many interest- 

 ing particulars relating to the subject in hand which will repay 

 the trouble of reading. 



