The same is probably true of the interior of the country every where. Lieutenant Maury, in the course of his investigations, and in order to ascertain the direction of the winds in the Mississippi valley during rain, addressed a number of gentlemen, and received their replies, which are published with his wind and current charts. Several answered, among other things, that, "whenever the lightning appears to linger at the north at eventide, rain almost invariably follows speedily; not so in the south." Thus it frequently is with us. If, during a hot, dry time, of a few days continuance, the lightning so lingers in the evening, and the wind continues to blow _fresh_ from the southward _after nightfall_, showers will generally follow within forty-eight hours, most commonly the next day, and a cool N. N. W. or N. W. wind with a favorable change ensue. Such, at least, has been the result of my observation for many years. Indeed this seems to be the general law in summer in the Mississippi valley, where the easterly winds are not so common as with us. To illustrate this further, I copy from a recent work by T. Bassnett, entitled the "Mechanical Theory of Storms," two short extracts, showing the manner in which belts of showers extend southerly, while progressing north-eastwardly, at Ottawa. The first occurred in August, 1853; the last, December, 1852. The first was a belt of showers; the latter would have been in August, but the lateness of the season changed its character somewhat, though not entirely, to a more regular rain, especially toward the close. "AUGUST 6th.--Very fine and clear all day: wind from S. W.; a light breeze; 8 P.M. frequent flashes of lightning in the northern sky; 10 P.M., a _low bank of dense clouds in north_, fringed with cirri, visible during the flash of the lightning; 12 P.M., same continues. "7th.--very fine and clear morning; wind S. W. moderate; noon, clouds accumulating in the northern half of the sky; _wind fresher_, _S. W._; 3 P.M., a clap of thunder over head, and black cumuli in west, north, and east; 4 P.M., much thunder and scattered showers; six miles west rained very heavily; 6 P.M., the heavy clouds passing over to the south; 10 P.M., clear again in north. "8th.--Clear all day; wind the same (S. W.); a hazy bank visible all along on _southern horizon_. "DECEMBER 21st, 1852.--Wind N. E., fine weather. "22d.--Thick, hazy morning, wind east, much lighter in S. E. than in N. W.; 8 A.M., a clear arch in S. E. getting more to south; noon, _very black in W. N. W._; above, a broken layer of cirro-cumulus, the sun visible sometimes through the waves; wind around to S. E., and fresher; getting thicker all day; 10 P.M., _wind south, strong_; thunder, lightning, and heavy rain all night, with strong squalls from south. "23d.--Wind S. W., moderate, drizzly day; 10 P.M., wind west, and getting clearer."