1800.] Remarks on the Climate in North America, by Mr. Tatham. 1% 
of altitude, I perceived that the leaves be- 
came gradually tinted, and every hour of 
my journey prefented ftronger evidences of 
the approaching autumn. 
When I began to afcend the fpurs of 
the Iron Mountain, I difcerned the grafs 
to be affected, the leaves to be falling, and 
the gradations from autumn to winter to 
be everywhere evident. 
| When I reached the fummit or gap of 
this mountain, that opens to view the pic- 
turefque and extenfive vale of Kanhawa, 
which extends above one hundred miles 
acro{s the country, ina tranf{verfe or north- 
wardly direction between the fources of 
the eaftern and weftern rivers, and has a 
fair expofure to the north-weftern winds 
blowing over the lakes of Canada, the 
trees were difrobed of their cloathing ; and 
when I reached the ford of. the Kanhawa 
at the mouth of Meadow Creek, I found 
winter completely verified by the prefence 
of wild geefe, which feparated into two 
diftinét flocks, and permitted me to pafs 
between them without flight; and by the 
firft appearance of clear ice upon the 
brinks of the river. I now bid adieu to 
the autumn of this year, and began to 
prepare myfelf with warmer raiment ; but 
to my great furprife, when I approache 
the fummit of the Blue Mountains, at the 
place called Fi/he’s Gap (which commands 
one of the grandeft views in nature, and 
Jays open the: diminifhed objects below zo 
the utmoft capacity of optics), I could per- 
ceive in one immenfe fcope all the grada- 
tions before me which I had pafled; and 
I found in the eaftern defcent of my next 
day’s journey a verdure approaching to- 
wards fummer, and differing very little 
from the ftate in which I had left Nono- 
cluckie. | 
Since the period here fpoken of, I have 
{pent feveral years in the countries wett- 
ward of the Allegania Mountains, and 
have had many opportunities of making 
correfpondent remarks upon the American 
climate. I think there can be little or no 
doubt, that thefe fa&s evidence the exift- 
ence of a frozen fummit in thofe regions of 
the weftern world, which are hitherto un- 
trodden by European feet. I will not ha- 
zard an opinion that fuch regions are un- 
inhabitable ; I am rather inclined to think 
that we fhall fhortly find them to be the 
abode of a populous and hardy race of fa- 
vages ; and that if they are more frigid in 
the fummer months than thofe elevated 
expofures which are even influenced as far 
fouth as Georgia by the rapid emiffions of 
their impregnated zorth-wefiers, that their 
retentive property muft be alcribed (not 
to a mere cap of eternal fnow upon the 
head of a central mountain, but) to a 
wide expante of frefh-water lakes and mo- 
raffles, which are prone to colleét the frigid 
particles from a ftill more exalted {phere ; 
and which the wifdom of Providence has 
thus confiftently ordained for the bountiful 
purpofes of its creation; and by which 
means alone it would feem capable (ac- 
cording to the comprehenfions of human 
philofophy) to preferve an inexhauftible re- 
fervoir, to fupport the fucceffive demands 
which the change of feafons impofe upon 
fo many wonderful channels for the accom- 
modation of the inferior country, and to 
replenifh the innumerable duéts which 
are continually exhaufted by the calls of 
abforption and evaporation. 
If, however, the fuppofition of fuch a 
theorem fhould need fome farther kzowz 
facts to eftablifh the congeniality of water 
towards congelation by the powers of at- 
traction, we may inftance that'the attrac- 
tion of rivers is known to preferve fruit 
upon their banks, when the bloffoms of 
thofe at a greater diftance are feen to wi- 
ther and die away. It is afcribed to this 
caufe chiefly, that orchards in the lower 
countries of ames and other principal 
rivers in Virginia are fuppofed to yield © 
more certain crops near the river banks, 
than in the plains at a diftance; and in 
fome parts of that State there is a cuftem 
prevails of fufpending a ftraw rope from 
the higheft twig of a fruit-tree into a tub 
of water below, as a conduétor to the froft. 
I have been often told of this experiment, 
and have at this hour to Jament that I ré- 
fided in the neighbourhood of its practice 
at too early an age to think it worthy my 
care, and have not been of later years in 
a way to accomplith fuch accurate obfer- 
vation as might enable me to vouch for the 
fact. 
Before we take leave of the phenomena 
of froft, it feems fitting to remark, that 
clay foils havea greater tendency to retain 
the imprefiions of cold, than thofe of a more 
light, loamy, or fandy quality. Hence it 
is, that the {now is of longer continuance 
upon the furface of a red clay, than upon 
any other kind of country ; and it may, 
perhaps, be afcribed to fome peculiar re- 
frigeratory property in this kind of foil, 
that the farmer always prays for a coat of 
{now to fhield his crop from the dreaded 
depredations of an intenfe winter. So far 
as my obfervation goes in re{pect to agri- 
culture, I think both the red clay and the 
lighter red foils of every quality are moft 
fubjeét to emit the grain in the aét of 
freezing, and by this means to impoverifh 
Ba the 
