Real Climate Records

Evaporation and atmospheric rarefaction are the great natural agents employed to temper the heated air, and their operations are most powerfully exhibited in mountainous regions, or where waters are abundant.

Vapours copiously raised from every river, lake, or pool, from the soil, or from vegetation, become the means, in the mighty hand of nature’s God, of reducing excess of temperature, and refreshing thereby animal and vegetable life. The equilibrium of animal heat is in some degree regulated by the discharge of sweat, and by exhalations from the lungs. These in excess soon enervate the system, and bring on langour and debility.

Vegetation suffers from similar causes ; the herbaceous tribes first, for the moisture being withdrawn easily from their leaves and roots, they soon exhibit symptoms of decay by the sickly hue of the yellow leaf.

Australia is characterized as a dry country; so are all countries in similar latitudes. From its immense extent, and the marked deficiency of lakes, rivers (these last being too often dry channels), joined to the thirsty nature of the soil, evaporation goes on very slowly, and is chiefly supplied from the ocean. Its enormous size is here a drawback. Those magazines of heaven, the rain-clouds, have to distribute their favours over so great a space, that, like charity, the medicine bestowed to every quarter often-times is very scanty, and too often far between blessings—and when rain falls, it generally descends with a rapidity peculiar to tropical climes, although drizzling rains from the eastward sometimes are visitors.

That great changes have taken place in the climate of Australia all testimonies satisfactorily prove. It is evident to any observer, at some period, the country has been subjected to the mighty action of heavy rains, and of sweeping, deluging floods. The mountains and hills are cut and furrowed into deep ravines ; the parting ridges are at acute angles, and frequently washed bare of vegetable mould ; and all so precipitous, that the waters are no sooner showered from the blessed heavens than they run off with rapidity and fury through the gullies into the recipient creeks, scarcely leaving a witness of their visit, either as running brook, clear spring, or stagnant pool, a few days, perhaps a few hours, after.

The aborigines say that the climate has undergone this change since white-man came in country. ” Old-hands” speak positively of creeks, constantly running streams, in their early days of trial, which have now been dry for several years. And less than twenty years ago, it was often a serious matter to cross the Hunter at Patrick’s Plains, especially with drays, on account of the depth of water there. It is different, indeed, now. What causes have arisen to make the earth as iron, and the heavens as brass ? The creeks lose their scanty supplies in the channels, and most of the rivers disappear in sands accumulated, or lose themselves in the wide-spreading levels of the interior.

The water obtained by digging must be fetched from greater depths, for the stock is getting low in the cellarage ; and the writer would be glad to be informed if more water can be obtained in proportion to the distance sunk ; or if such discoveries have been made as Artesian wells, of which accounts give wonderful descriptions, dug several hundreds of feet below the surface, and discharging astonishing quantities of water.

The Artesian well at Grenoble discharges per hour 2,000,000 litres, or 530,000 English gallons. If the seasons continue in this dry disposition, water will be a difficult matter to obtain for flocks and herds bye-and-by. The slight rains which usually fall are absorbed by the parched soil ; and apart from large rivers, the only supply is from scanty springs or muddy waterholes. But, perhaps, such dryness may be only for a time, and the revolution of years may bring a favourable change of seasons also.

In this expectation we are encouraged by the fact that a Scottish gentleman named Captain M’Kenzie, about twenty years ago, published an annual work entitled his Manual of the Weather, calculated for the Latitude of Britain, whereby he prognosticated the general character of the seasons for years to come.

Others have taken up the subject ; and M. Arago lately astonished the Parisians by predicting that, in the month of March, and a certain day (I quote from memory), the river Seine would be frozen over. Mr. M’Kenzie’s scheme met with public approbation, and was so much valued in France, that he was elected a member of the French Institute for the discovery. His general accuracy was the surprise of thousands ; but the principles on which the system was based may be shortly stated. As the sun, moon, stars, &c, have their periodic time, returning at certain intervals to within a little of their former places, so also the seasons are affected by the same laws, and will as certainly, when their cycles are accomplished, present the same phenomena in their corresponding times.

Should this law hold true (which some may doubt) in the southern hemisphere, a series of accurate observations for many years may afford a key to unlock the door of weatherological knowledge, whereby it may be predicted when a favourable tide may return to these latitudes.

Journals are kept at the Sydney Heads, and, I believe, at Parramatta, which in time may lead to this discovery.

But the day is so dry, my ink- stand nearly dry, my pen almost wholly dry, and I’m so very dry myself, that I beg forgiveness for concluding dryly so dry a subject for the present.

Yours,

RUS.