D&. KANE’S OPEN PGLAtt, SEA. 
Ta the Editors of the National Intelligencer . 
! > vIessrs . Editors : Doctor Kane having ascertained,^ I 
actual observation, the existence of a body of water in 
the polar regions entirely free from ice, the existence of 
1 which had been previously only surmised in consequence 
of the phenomena observed by navigators who had pre¬ 
ceded him in those regions, the inquiry naturally pre¬ 
sents itself, what is the cause of the non-existence of ice 
• that water? It is P r op° se(i in tilis P a P er t0 offer an 
answcr to this question. If the writer be not successful, 
the attempt will at least be praiseworthy, ana he will fail 
in a good cause. 
The air in the equatorial or tropical regions, in conse¬ 
quence of the high temperature of the climate, ascends, 
as is well known, from the surface of the earth. As it 
rises it is subjected to less and less pressure, and gra¬ 
dually expands, and in consequence of expansion the 
sensible heat which it possessed at the surface of the earth 
gradually becomes latent, until finally it becomes cold 
enough to condense a portion of the vapor which it car¬ 
ries up with it; the vapor thus condensed yields a large 
quantity of heat, previously latent in it, to the air, which 
gives a new impulse to its upward tendency ; and, rising 
still higher, the expansion continues, until the cold is so 
great as to condense the vapor which may still remain in 
it, and finally solidify it, producing a new evolution of 
sensible heat, which causes a still further ascent of the 
j air, until it has absorbed, in consequence of fresh expan¬ 
sion, this new accession of sensible heat-. Now, this air 
has not only not lost any heat in its ascent from the sur¬ 
face of the earth, but actually possesses more than it had 
before its ascent, because of having received additional 
heat from condensation of vapor; and, if it bs again 
brought to the same density it had before its ascension, 
it will yield up not only the same quantity of sensible 
heat it had before rising from the earth, but an additional 
quantity, received from the condensation of vapor on its 
ascent. But, since the air rises in the equatorial regions, 
its place must be supplied at the surface of the earth. 
This is done by a flow of air along the surface of the earth 
towards the eqaator from the north and south, which will 
come in the shape of a northeasterly and southeasterly 
wind ; this draws the air away from the polar regions; its 
place there must in its turn be supplied. This will be 
by toe air which arose at the equator, which, flow- 
1D g nortn and south, high above the earth, and carrying 
itu i, all the hear it possessed on leaving the equatorial 
regions, descends in the regions ef the poles; and as it 
eeoeuds, coming under the pressure of the air flowing 
ove it, yiolua up its latent heat even to a greater 
V^ 31 ^ k'Td after rising at the equator, since the j 
' ecom<J0 greater than it was at the surface at the j 
si «*r 
