Add to these influences, especially at Sitka, the presence of mountain masses and of dense forests, all tending to make the coast warmer in winter and colder in summer than it would otherwise be. Practical observation verifies these conclusions of science. Any isothermal map is enough for our purpose; but there are others which show the relative conditions generally of different portions of the globe. I ask attention to those of Keith Johnston, in his admirable Atlas. But I am glad to present a climatic table of the Pacific coast in comparison with the Atlantic coast, recently compiled, at my request, from the archives of the Smithsonian Institution, with permission of its learned secretary, by a collaborator of the Institution, who visited Russian America under the auspices of the Telegraph Company. By this table we are able to comprehend the relative position of this region in the physical geography of the world. ------------+-----------------------------+----------------------------- | Mean Temperature in | Precipitation in Rain or | Degrees Fahrenheit. | Snow. Depth in Inches. +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----- | S | S | A | W | Y | S | S | A | W | Y Places of | p | u | u | i | e | p | u | u | i | e Observation.| r | m | t | n | a | r | m | t | n | a | i | m | u | t | r | i | m | u | t | r | n | e | m | e | . | n | e | m | e | . | g | r | n | r | | g | r | n | r | | . | . | . | . | | . | . | . | . | ------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----- St. |28.75|52.25|27.00| 7.00|27.48| … | … | … | … | … Michael’s, | | | | | | | | | | Russ. Am. | | | | | | | | | | Lat. 63° 28´| | | | | | | | | | 45´´ N. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Fort Yukon, |14.22|59.67|17.37-23.80|16.92| … | … | … | … | … Russ. Am. | | | | | | | | | | Lat. (near) | | | | | | | | | | 67°. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ikogmut, |19.62|49.32|36.05| 0.95|24.57| … | … | … | … | … Russ. Am. | | | | | | | | | | Lat. 61° 47´| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sitka, |39.65|53.37|43.80|32.30|42.28|18.32|15.75|32.10|23.77|89.94 Russ. Am.