Additional objections to Redfield's theory of storms / by Robert Hare.

  • Hare, Robert, 1781-1858.
Date:
[1842?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Additional objections to Redfield's theory of storms / by Robert Hare. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    vere part of the southeastern limb should be passed. On this part of the track only one change would take place. But at two sta- tions sufficiently remote from the central line, the wind in passing from northeast to southeast would undergo an intermediate devi- ation, but necessarily of an opposite nature, since for the same reason that at one, there would be first more northing and then more westing, at the other, there would be more easting and more southing, pari passu. But on the outward northeastern and north- western limbs, or in other words, on the right and on the left external borders, there would be no change. On the one it would blow from the northwest only, on the other only from the south- east. On this last mentioned limb the blast would be preeminent in violence, since in that direction the gyrative and progressive motion of the whirlwind would concur. 74. Nevertheless, agreeably to the observations which have lifted the whirlwind theory above the reach of my strictures, hur- ricanes in the West Indies begin (at every place) from a northern quarter, and changing first west, and afterwards to a southern quarter, terminate their fury. Thus, agreeably to the evidence of Mr. Redfield, the fury of the hurricane is the least where, ac- cording to his hypothesis, it should be the greatest. 75. Having cited and endeavored to shew the futility of the only explanation which can be found in Mr. Redfield's essays of the mode in which whirlwinds are induced, I will quote a pas- sage from which it would seem that they are supposed capable of being self-induced. Whence it would follow, that while free from any external cause, his rotary movement, which is the sole cause of destructive winds and tempests could spontaneously, excite itself and the adjoining elements into a destructive com- motion. From this statement, it appears that the author was not aware that in making it he gave a blow to his favorite idea of op- posing and unequal forces, arising from gravitation and terrestrial motion, being the cause of stormy atmospheric gyration. 70. We may observe, also, that whirlwinds and spouts appear to commence gradually and to acquire their full activity without the aid of any foreign causes ; and it is well known they are most frequent in those calm regions where apparently there are no active currents to meet each other, and they are least frequent where currents are in full activity.'1'' (This Journal, Vol. xxxm, P- 61.)