METEOROLOGY. 
252 
north-eaft coaft, in the ccmnties of York, Lincoln, ElTex, 
and Kent; and by others, on the oppofite weftern coafts 
of Pembroke, Devon, and Cornwall; fo as to determine 
what changes in temperature this wind undergoes in its 
paffage over the ifland ; and whether or not the degree of 
haze increafes or diminithes by its progrefs from either 
quarter ; and whether the vapour is more or lefs difpofed 
to produce Itorms ? 
“ By fuch comparative obfervations on the coaft, con¬ 
joined with thofe made by others in the central parts of 
the kingdom, we might rapidly proceed in meteorological 
fcience, or, as it is commonly called, a knowledge of the 
weather. The obfervations made in the interior of the 
country would enable us at all times to trace the origin 
and progrefs of ftorms: in fituations where tillage or 
pafturage is moft attended to, the effects of fpring frofts 
and blights fhould be particularly noticed, as well as 
the firft: appearance of the aphis and coccus, the cater¬ 
pillar and larvae of other infefts, on fruit-trees, and 
efpecially thofe peculiar to the hep-plantations. The 
firft opening of the vernal foliage on trees and hedges 
in the fpring, Ihould likewife be remarked, and com¬ 
pared with the ftarting-up grafs on the highly-manured 
paftures in the neighbourhood of towns ; and on thofe 
alfo aflifted with manure, as well as the natural herbage 
on the commons and waftes. Some attention fhould be 
paid to the effects of thunder-ftorms, in deftroying the 
aphis and other deftruCtive infedts, the pelt of fruit and 
hop-plantations : and the firft appearance of the mildew 
or ruft on wheat fhould be particularly obferved ; and re¬ 
marks made to afeertain, whether or not the moifture, 
which occafions the difeafe in its commencement, was at¬ 
tended with wind and rain, ora clofe damp ftate of the air. 
The different kinds of foil, where the crops, from the 
difeafe, fuffered moft, fhould be noticed ; and the fituation 
of the land for ventilation, with the height of the fences, 
fize of inclofures, and vicinity to coppices, trees, or hedge¬ 
rows.” 
The importance of the ftudy of meteorology requires 
little elucidation. In climates where the fucceffion of 
feafons is nearly ftated and regular, where the periods 
of parching drought or deluging torrents, of the tem- 
peftuous hurricane or the refrefhing breeze, are fixed and 
afeertained, mankind has little to do, but to expedt the 
dreaded changes, and provide againft their devaftations ; 
but in countries like our own, where all the viciftitudes 
of feafons may take place in the courfe of a few hours, 
it is of the higheft confequence to inveftigate the nature 
of the change, and the circumftances that precede or 
accompany it. To the farmer, the mariner, the traveller, 
the phyfician, meteorology is in fome meafure a ftudy of 
neceftity ; to the philofopher it is a ftudy of intereft and 
delight; and to the obferver of nature it affords objedls 
of grandeur and lublimity not to be found in any other 
department of his favourite fcience. Surely nothing can 
contribute more to elevate the mind of man, to raife it 
4£ from nature up to nature’s God,” than the contem¬ 
plation of the fweeping whirlwind, the dazzling light¬ 
ning, or the awful thunder. 
It is well obferved, in the Supplement to the Ency. 
Britannica, (art. Aeronautics,) that to a fkilful and judi¬ 
cious application of balloons, we may look for a moft ef- 
fential improvement in the infant fcience of meteorology. 
Confined to the furface of this globe, we have no direct 
intimation of what palles in the lofty regions of the at- 
mofpliere. .All the changes of weather, which appear lb 
capricious and perplexing, proceed, no doubt, from the 
combination of a very few fimple caufes. Were the phi¬ 
lofopher to penetrate beyond the feat of the clouds, ex¬ 
amine the circumftances of their formation, and mark the 
prevailing currents, he would probably remove in part 
the veil that conceals thofe mighty operations. Mr. Gay- 
Luiiac afeended to the height of 2.3,040 feet (more than 
4J- miies) above the level of the fea, and made tome very 
important obfervations, but not on the fubjedt.of meteo¬ 
rology. Now it would be quite pradlicable, we conceive, 
to reach an elevation of feven miles, where the air would 
be four times more attenuated than ordinary. A iilk bal¬ 
loon, of forty feet diameter, if properly conltrudted, might 
be fufficient for that enormous afeent, fince its weight 
would only be 80 pounds, while its buoyant force, though 
not more than a quarter filled with hydrogen gas, would 
amount to 533-t, leaving 453-3. pounds for the paflenger 
and the ballaft. The balloon could be fafely charged, 
indeed, to the third part of its capacity, on account of 
the contraction which the gas would afterwards fuft'er 
from the intenfe cold of the upper regions ; and this gives 
it an additional buoyancy pf 177-g- pounds. The voyager 
would not, we prefume, fuffer any ferious inconvenience 
from breathing the very thin air. The animal frame 
adapts itfelf with wonderful facility to external circum¬ 
ftances. Perhaps the quickened pulfe and fhort refpira- 
tion, which fome travellers have experienced on the fum- 
mits of lofty mountains, fhould be attributed chiefly to 
the fuddennefs of their tranfition, and the feverity of the 
cold. The people of Quito live comfortably 9560 feet 
above the level of the fea ; and the lhepherds of the ham¬ 
let of Antilana, the higheft inhabited fpot in the known 
world, who breathe, at an elevation of 13,500 feet, air that 
has only three-fifths of the ufual denfity, are nowife de¬ 
ficient in length or vigour. But the intenfenefs of the 
cold is probably what the refolute obferver would have 
moft to dread, at the height of feven miles. This de- 
creafe of temperature, perhaps equal to 148 degrees, 
might extend below the point at which mercury freezes. 
Yet feveral circumftances tend to mitigate fuch extreme 
cold; and proper clothing might enable an experimenter, 
for a fhort time, to refill its effects. Much could be done, 
however, without rifk or material expenfe. Balloons 
from fifteen to thirty feet in diameter, and carrying re¬ 
gister thermometers and barometers, might be capable of 
afeending alone to altitudes between eight and twelve 
miles. Difpatched from the centres of the great conti¬ 
nents, they would not only determine the extreme gra¬ 
dation of cold, but indicate by their flight the diredtion 
of the regular and periodic winds which donbtlefs ob¬ 
tain in the higheft regions of the atmofphere. But we 
will not enlarge. In fome happier times, fuch experi¬ 
ments may be performed with the zealous concurrence 
of different governments ; when nations fhall at laft be¬ 
come iatisfied with cultivating the arts of peace, inflead 
of wafting their energies in fanguinary, deliructive, and 
fruitlefs, wars. 
II. Of Meteors. 
The phenomena called /hooting or falling ftars have been 
feen by every one, as thefe meteors are vifible in greater 
or lefs numbers every clear night; they need not there¬ 
fore be particularly deferibed. Thefe meteors are fo very 
tranfient, not often exceeding one or two feconds in du¬ 
ration, that they afford no opportunity for obfervations 
by which their altitude can be determined with accuracy, 
and confequently we are in a great meafure ignorant of 
their height. If a few intelligent perfons were to agree 
to make the belt obfervations they could on the altitudes 
of thefe meteors fome fuitable evening, fuppofing the ob- 
fervers to be liationed at the diftance of'ten, twenty, or 
more, miles from each other, and to have their watches, 
&c. duly adjufted, it is very probable that data might be 
obtained to afeertain the height of thefe meteors, within 
certain limits at leaft. 
Humboldt, in his very-interefting “ Perfonal Narra¬ 
tive of Travels to the Equinoctial .Regions of the New 
Continent, 1814,” remarks upon the frequency of thefe 
appearances in certain latitudes. “ Between Madeira and 
the coaft of Africa (fays he) we were never wearied with 
admiring the beauty of the nights ; nothing can be com¬ 
pared to the tranf'parency and lerenity of an African fky. 
We were llruck with the innumerable multitude of fail¬ 
ing ftars, which appeared at every inltunt. The farther 
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