248 
the annoyances that are felt, by reason of the absence of 
rain. 
It is not uncommon to hear the climate of this country 
inveighed against as if it were one of the worst upon earth ; 
but I will venture to say that, notwithstanding all its draw- 
backs,, there is none which admits of so many days in the year 
in which out-door exercise or enjoyment can be indulged in. 
Surrounded by water as our islands are, the cold is seldom 
excessive, or of very long continuance, nor are the heats of 
summer so over-powering as they are in many parts of the 
world. 
The sea not only supplies us with perpetual moisture, but 
moderates all extremes of temperature. 
The position of our country in the temperate zone and sur- 
rounded by water is not the least of the blessings which God 
has showered upon this favoured land. We do not suffer 
from the heats of the tropics, nor the cold of the Arctic 
regions. 
The south-westerly winds, which are the prevalent winds 
during a large portion of the year, come to our shores charged 
with the moisture they have acquired in their passage across 
a broad stretch of ocean. Impinging against the mountain 
sides which they meet with on the south and west coasts of 
Ireland and of England, they part with their watery contents 
in copious showers. For the hills are huge natural condensers. 
The air at the level of the sea is charged with aqueous vapour, 
which is kept in a state of suspension by the warmth of the 
atmosphere. On meeting with high land, it is compelled to 
rise into colder strata, condensation takes place, and rain is 
the result. Thus the verdant green of our country is main- 
tained, and our springs and rivers are kept supplied with 
water. Throughout the Holy Scriptures there are constant 
references to the blessings of water, and the horrors attendant 
upon a thirsty and dry land where no water is. 
The want, or the deficiency of rain, produces the arid deserts 
of many parts of the world, and districts which in former 
times abounded in fertility are now destitute of vegetation 
and deserted by the inhabitants. 
These districts were principally maintained in fertility by 
artificial means, and to obviate the evils which accompanied 
want of moisture much has been done, both in former and 
modern times, by irrigation. The remains of tanks for storing 
flood waters are evidences of the value which in former days 
was attached to an abundant supply of water for fertilising 
the soil. Egypt has been created by the judicious applica- 
tion of the periodical overflowings of the river Nile. 
