The Botanic Garden, a Poem in Two Parts. Part 1: the Economy of VegetationDarwin, Erasmus
History
The Botanic Garden, a Poem in Two Parts. Part 1: the Economy of Vegetation
Darwin, Erasmus
Natural history; Plants -- Poetry; Portland Vase
NOTE XXX ... SHIP-WORM.
The Teredo has calcareous jaws; a new enemy; they perish when they meet
together in their ligneous canals; United Provinces alarmed for the
piles of the banks of Zeland; were destroyed by a severe winter.
NOTE XXXI ... MAELSTROM.
A whirlpool on the coast of Norway; passes through a subterraneous
cavity; less violent when the tide is up; eddies become hollow in the
middle; heavy bodies are thrown out by eddies; light ones retained; oil
and water whirled in a phial; hurricanes explained.
NOTE XXXII ... GLACIERS.
Snow in contact with the earth is in a state of thaw; ice-houses; rivers
from beneath the snow; rime in spring vanishes by its contact with the
earth; and snow by its evaporation and contact with the earth; moss
vegetates beneath the snow; and Alpine plants perish at Upsal for want
of show.
NOTE XXXIII ... WINDS.
Air is perpetually subject to increase and to diminution; Oxygene is
perpetually produced from vegetables in the sunshine, and from clouds in
the light, and from water; Azote is perpetually produced from animal and
vegetable putrefaction, or combustion; from springs of water; volatile
alcali; fixed alcali; sea-water; they are both perpetually diminished by
their contact with the soil, producing nitre; Oxygene is diminished in
the production of all acids; Azote by the growth of animal bodies;
charcoal in burning consumes double its weight of pure air; every barrel
of red-lead absorbes 2000 cubic feet of vital air; air obtained from
variety of substances by Dr. Priestley; Officina aeris in the polar
circle, and at the Line. _South-west winds_; their westerly direction
from the less velocity of the earth's surface; the contrary in respect
to north-east winds; South-west winds consist of regions of air from the
south; and north-east winds of regions of air from the north; when the
south-west prevails for weeks and the barometer sinks to 28, what
becomes of above one fifteenth part of the atmosphere; 1. It is not
carried back by superior currents; 2. Not from its loss of moisture; 3.
Not carried over the pole; 4. Not owing to atmospheric tides or
mountains; 5. It is absorbed at the polar circle; hence south-west winds
and rain; south-west sometimes cold. _North-east winds_ consist of air
from the north; cold by the evaporation of ice; are dry winds; 1. Not
supplied by superior current; 2. The whole atmosphere increased in
quantity by air set at liberty from its combinations in the polar
circles. _South-east winds_ consist of north winds driven back. _North-
west winds_ consist of south-west winds driven back; north-west winds of
America bring frost; owing to a vertical spiral eddy of air between the
eastern coast and the Apalachian mountains; hence the greater cold of
North America. _Trade-winds_; air over the Line always hotter than at
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