ts interior--Heat derived from the
great Oceanic currents, and the aerial currents which flow
from the tropics to the poles, and from magnetism and
electricity--Water distributed by an atmospheric machinery as
extensive as the globe--Evidences of this--Its distribution over
the continents of North America--Explanation of it--Source from
whence our supply of water is derived, and from which our rivers
return 1

CHAPTER II.

Our rivers return in the form of clouds, and in storms and
showers--Definition and character of storms--Differences in
the character of the clouds which constitute them--Nomenclature
of Howard--Its imperfections--New order of description--Low
fog--High fog--Storm fog--Storm scud--N. W. scud--Cumulus--
Stratus--Cirrus--Compounds of the two latter--recapitulation in
tabular form 24

CHAPTER III.

Our rivers do not return from the North Atlantic--All storms and
showers move from the westward to the eastward--Seeming clouds
seen moving from the eastward to the westward are scud--They are
incidents of the storm, and not a necessary part of it--The
storm clouds are above them, moving to the eastward--Occasions
when this may be seen--Admitted facts prove it--Investigations
prove it--May be known from analogy--From the fact that there is
an aerial current pursuing the same course in which the storms
originate--Character of this current--Its influence upon our
country--Importance of a knowledge of its origin, cause, and the
reciprocal action between it and the earth--To this end necessary
to go down "to the chambers of the South" 43

CHAPTER IV.

The trade wind region--Its extent and arrangements--Its belt of
daily rains and movable character--The trade winds--The extra
tropical belt of rains--Connection between them and their annual
movements--The counter-trades--Their origin and situation--One
of them constitutes our aerial current--It originates in the
South Atlantic as a surface-trade--Anomalies of the trade wind
region--Dry seasons--Humboldt's description of them--Exist where
the surface trades are situated--The rainless countries--
Concentrated counter-trade--Monsoons--Received theory in relation
to them a fallacy--Cause of the great central phenomena--
Calorific t