INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
II 
il;iy also the forests be ^ileacled for here in this assembly ? 
It .should be a fixed plan in national economy anywliere, to 
maintain masse.s of fore.st-vegetation near sources of river.s, 
and to e.stabli.sh .some broad arboreons bordering on .streams 
where it does not extensively exist, as much calculated to reduce 
^veeping water- volumes by soakage and mechanical retention, 
hor this purpo.se, nut-trees, cork-oaks, basket-willows ami 
other trees, prominently utilitarian, could be cho,sen. T<j what 
reflections are you led, udien a recent flood of the Mis.sissippi 
not only devastated the adjoining land in its course, but destroyed 
also, thi-ough pirotracted submersion, much of the existing riiiarian 
woods ; when property counting by millions of dollars is lost to a 
Oahiornian railway company through one single flood directly 
traceable to destruction of forests ; when two-thirds of the 
inhabitants of the populous Conneinaugh Ahilley perished by the 
dam-disaster ; when .so recently and so terrifically quite a million 
of people were drowned in the floods of the Yellow River, and 
another million of inhabitants died fi-om starvation, epulemics 
and other miseries as the sequence of such vast calamity. 
Merely a small fraction of the monetary losses involved would 
have sufficed to avert all this, if spent in well-regulated forestry. 
Ihe cooling of temperature in forests under ordinary circum- 
stances means the reduction of much aqueous vapour to liquid 
humidity, and further the local re-precipitation of gaseous moisture 
m aqueous den.sity, with projiortionate lessening of evaiioration. 
^ach of “our friemls, the tree.s,” is a factor, however small, in 
tins calculation. 
_ If really it could be demonstrated, that forests exercise no 
influence whateier on .atmospheric precipitation, not even 
tiroiigh electricity, — ^an oiiinion lately advanced, but about 
t ie correctness (»f which many ilo yet enterhain the govivest 
doubt— then still remains to be considered whether through 
forests any country can obtain the fullest benefit from such 
aerial downpours as do occur. In North-western America 
Wic expre.s.sion seems proverbial, “ Kain follows the plough." 
ihe pnnciple in both cases would be the same. Though moisture 
promotes spontaneous forest-growth, we are fortunately not by 
Its absence prevented, even in almo.st rainless zone.s, to clothe, 
jare tracts of country with an arbore.scent mantle of verdure, 
bhould some one in opulence desire to build up for himself oru^ 
ot the most Lasting of monuments, it would be by the bequest of 
an isolated primeval forest, ever untouchable, for the free enjov- 
ment of the orderly portion of the public. The annual “arbo'r- 
d!p', let us trust, will become universal as a legitimate holiday, 
which will be looked forward to with delight, particularly by the 
ju\e?iiles, wliOj M'itii a life of hope before them, can await results 
from pleasurable action and intelligent forethought. Celebrations 
like these are not without a lesson to the whole community. 
