I.—On Variations of the Climate

Extract

How often do we not hear old people assert that when they were young the climate was quite different; that the weather was warmer or colder, etc.; and even comparatively young people are sometimes of the same opinion. It is most natural to assume that these observers have been misled by the more intense impressions of youth, which cause, for instance, a hot summer, bringing with it more rural pleasures and open-air sports, to be engraved on the mind for life. On the other hand, should the early years be accompanied by much wet weather and storms, these years are perhaps more easily forgotten, as the monotonous and tedious life within four walls to which one is then confined does not leave that distinct impression upon the youthful mind as that of a glorious summer spent out-of-doors. However, the importance of the question and its great general interest demand an investigation of the problem ; the more so as certain scientific theories and hypotheses tend to prove that a change in the climate must necessarily take place.