134 Electrical Countries, and their Action on the Weather. 



ELECTRICAL COUNTRIES, AND THEIR ACTION ON 



THE WEATHER. 



BY M. J. IOUENET. 



{From " Comptes Rendus," 1st July, 1867.) 



It cannot be otherwise than interesting, in a scientific point of 

 view, to ascertain whether or not there exist certain countries 

 more electric than others ; for, besides the strangeness of such 

 a fact, it is not impossible that meteorological reactions maybe 

 produced, even at great distances, from unequal distribution of 

 electricity. 



The persevering studies of De Saussure, combined with 

 those of other physicists, have made us accurately acquainted 

 with what occurs in our regions in ordinary weather ; and, in 

 addition to this, many travellers have recorded certain highly 

 curious effects which usually manifest themselves in remote 

 countries ; and, lastly, my own endeavour to add to our in- 

 formation on the storm action of the south-west, have led me 

 to the idea that it may bring us electricity, excited on the 

 other side of the Atlantic. It remains, therefore, to ascertain 

 whether there are in existence any facts which may confirm 

 such ideas. 



On consulting the important work on Mexican Hydrology 

 by M. H. de Saussure, grandson of the great explorer of the 

 Alps, we see that, at the end of winter, dryness becomes ex- 

 cessive in the elevated plateaux of that country, where evapo- 

 ration is immense. No vapours then disturb the purity of the 

 sky, and the exhibition of electric sparks at the approach of 

 various objects takes place at times with remarkable intensity. 



This tension is even sustained in the rainy season, for in 

 1856, when M. H. de Saussure and M. Peyron ascended the 

 Nevada de Toluca, in spite of the reiterated warnings of the 

 inhabitants, they soon found themselves enveloped in a frost- 

 fog — a menacing symptom of the storm which was coming on. 

 Soon came a violent wind, with hoar-frost, then lightning and 

 thunder, pealing incessantly and with a frightful noise, obliged 

 them to descend lest they should be struck with the dis- 

 charges. At a lower elevation the storm appeared to calm 

 itself for a moment, and the travellers were enveloped in a 

 grey fog, accompanied with hoar-frost ; and they noticed the 

 hair of their Indian guides in agitation, as if about to rise up. 

 Soon there came a dull, indefinable sound, at first weak, 

 though in all directions, and then growing stronger and 

 stronger, very distinct, and even alarming. It was an uni- 



