d the state
of things on different portions of its surface. The equatorial belts of
trades, and drought, and rains, cover from fifty to sixty degrees of its
surface, and know nothing of lunar disturbance. The extra-tropical belt of
rains and variable weather moves up in its season, uncovering 10 deg., or
more, of latitude, and admitting the trades and a six months' drought over
it, as in California, regardless of the moon. Under the zone of
extra-tropical rains, even upon the eastern part of the continent of North
America, "dry spells" and "wet spells" exist side by side; the focus of
precipitation is now in one parallel, and now in another--_storms_ exist
_here_ and _fair weather there_, on the same continent at the same time;
and as the moon's rays in her northing pass round the northern hemisphere
during the twenty-four hours, they, doubtless, pass from ten to thirty or
more storms, of all characters and intensities, moving in opposition to
her orbit--and as many larger intervening areas of fair weather, not one
of which are indebted to her for their existence, or "take thought of her
coming."

The storm, which originates in the tropics, pursues its curving way now N.
W., then N. E., and again north, to the Arctic circle, and, perhaps,
around the magnetic pole, over gulf, and continent, and ocean, _occupying
one third the time of a lunation, and two changes, perhaps, in its
progress_, without any perceptible or conceivable influence from her. Yet
every inhabitant of mother-earth, influenced by _coincidences remembered_,
and uninfluenced by _exceptions forgotten_, looks up within his limited
horizon, and devoutly expects from the agency of some phase of the moon, a
change for the special benefit of his _dot_ upon the earth's surface. Upon
how many of these countless dots is the moon at a particular phase, or
relative distance from the sun, to change fair weather to foul, or foul to
fair? Upon none. The storms keep on their way;--the wet spells, and the
dry spells, the cold and the hot spells alternate in their time, and
though the moon turns toward them in passing, her dark face, her half
face, or her full orb (the gifts of the sun, which confer no power), they
do not heed her. They are originated, and are continued, by a more potent
agent. They are the work of an atmospheric mechanism, as _ceaseless_ in
its operation as _time_, as _regular_ as the _seasons_, _as extensive as
the globe_.

Indeed, it seems as if it wa