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The Regicide Colonels in New England
On the Formation of Galleries of Art
Darwin on the Origin of Species
The purpose of this article is to present, in a brief and simple manner, theleading principles on which the science of Meteorology is founded,--rather,however, in the spirit of an inquirer than of a teacher. For, notwithstandingthe rapid progress it has made within the last thirty years, it is far fromhaving the authority of an exact science; many of its phenomena are as yetinexplicable, and many differences of opinion among the learned remainunreconciled on points at first sight apparently easy to be settled.
Meteorology has advanced very far beyond its original limits. Spherical vaporand atmospheric space give but a faint idea of its range. We find it a leadingscience in Physics, and having intimate relations with heat, light, electricity,magnetism, winds, water, vegetation, geological changes, optical effects,pneumatics, geography,--and with climate, controlling the pursuits and affectingthe character of the human race. It is so intimately blended, indeed, with theother matters here named, as scarcely to have any positive boundary of its own;and its vista seems ever lengthening, as we proceed.
Without dwelling upon the numerous consequences which flow frommeteorological influences, let us see what is properly included under thesubject of Meteorology. And first, of the Atmosphere.
This is a gaseous, vapor-bearing, elastic fluid, surrounding the earth. Itsvolume is estimated at 1/29th, and its weight at about 43/1000ths, that of theglobe. It is composed of 21 parts in weight of Oxygen and 77 of Nitrogen, with alittle Carbonic Acid, Aqueous Vapor, and a trace of Carburetted Hydrogen. Thereare numerous well-known calculations of the proportions of the variousconstituents of the atmosphere, which we owe