The Philosophy of the Weather. And a Guide to Its ChangesButler, T. B. (Thomas Belden)
Science
The Philosophy of the Weather. And a Guide to Its Changes
Butler, T. B. (Thomas Belden)
Weather; Weather forecasting
DEAR SIR,--Understanding you are desirous of collecting curious
meteorological facts, I take the liberty of communicating to you what
I saw in the month of December, 1815, at the Island of Owhyhee. I lay
at that island in the Cavrico Bay,[3] in which Captain Cook was
killed, three weeks, and every day during that time, very soon after
the sea breeze set in, say about nine o'clock, a cloud began to form
round the lofty conical mountain in that island, in the form of a
ring, as the wooden horizon surrounds the terrestrial artificial
globe, and it soon began to rain in torrents, and continued through
the day. In the evening the sea breeze died away and the rain ceased,
and the cloud soon disappeared, and it remained entirely clear till
after the sea breeze set in next morning. The land breeze prevailed
during the night, and was so cool as to render fires pleasant to the
natives, which I observed they constantly kindled in the evening. I
was particularly struck with the phenomena of the cloud surrounding
the mountain, when none was ever seen in any other part of the sky,
and none then till after the sea breeze set in, in the morning, which
it did with wonderful regularity. The mountain stood in bold relief,
and its top could always be seen from where the ship lay, above the
cloud, even when it was the densest and blackest, with the lightning
flashing and the thunder rolling, as it did every day. I passed up
through the cloud once, and I know, therefore, how violently it
rains, especially at the lower side of the cloud. This rain never
extends beyond the base of the mountain;[4] and all round the horizon
there is eternally a cloudless sky. The dews, however, are very
heavy, and there seems to be no suffering for want of rain. That this
state of things continues all the year, I have no doubt, from what an
American, by name Sears, who had spent four years there, told me; he
had seen no change in regard to the rain.
CALEB WILLIAMS.
Providence, R. I.
Similar citations might be made to show that the sea breeze is induced by
the same cause which forms the clouds over the land--that it is frequently
wanting for three or four days under a vertical sun, and that the land
breeze blows gently and not with corresponding force where there is no
surface trade, or where it is deflected, not reversed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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