54 



ered an inclined plane, fronting to the southeast, south and southwest; 

 no one of its water courses running to the north, as is the case with all 

 the States east o!' Illinois until you reach New York. Thus our 

 springs arc earlier, and our autumns more prolonged, than under oth- 

 er circumstances they could be. 



But there arc other elements which must be estimated in solving the 

 great problem we are upon. Our State is a prairie State, some parts 

 having only one-tenth timber, Snd others one-half. The average 

 would be about one-sixth. Our prairies in the eastern portion of the 

 State, run from southeast to northwest, and may be considered ex- 

 tended belts of prairie land, varying somewat in figure, but still con- 

 tinuing their course until they are merged into the Cotean des Prai- 

 ries already referred to, passing which, they run on indefinitely until 

 they abut on the Rocky Mountains. From this statement, it is appa- 

 rent that the cold atmosphere of the snowy mountains passes over a 

 gently inclined plane, unobstructed by a single tree or a single hill, 

 for the Cotean des Prairies is no obstruction. This, at a glance, shows 

 us why the northwest is one of the most common as well as the cold- 

 est of our winds. In this respect it exceeds our directly north winds, 

 which, coming from Hudson's Bay and the Northern Ocean, traverses 

 a country of low elevation. A single puff of this northwest wind is 

 sufficient to reduce the temperature greatly. But it is not so evanes- 

 cent in its nature ; on the contrary, it often continues several days in 

 succession When it reaches the Mississippi, a portion of it passes on 

 in the neighboring State of Illinois, while another portion, blending 

 with the north winds already referred to, takes the channel, or valley 

 of the Mississippi river, and thus passes onward to the Gulf of Mexi- 

 co, constituting the terrible Northers of that distracted water But 

 according to the old maxim, Nature abhors a vacuum, and after pre- 

 vailing for several days, the epuilibrium must be restored, and then 

 we have this same wind sent back to us loaded with moisture, and be- 

 ing from that circumstance more reducent of animal heat, and actu- 

 ally less bearable than when it came from the northwest ; but a few 

 hours continuance produces a rise in the thermometer, and then we 

 have a decided mitigation of the feeling of cold. Those from the 

 south are warm and sometimes accompanied w r ith rains; but I hare 

 known them to prevail for weeks at a time, in summer and autumn, 

 without the accompaniment. Our northeast winds are generally ac- 

 companied, or followed by storms. Blowing over the Lakes to the 

 northeast as they do. they c<>mr loaded with cold vapor, and often pro- 

 dnce -now storms; after prevailing U*r a few hours, they change to 

 • orthwesi <>r southeast according to the season of the year. 





