follows. If a large body of snow fall at the north, the winter is cold,
regular, and "old fashioned;" if little snow falls at the north and more
at the south, the winter at the north is open and broken. I have known the
ice make several inches thick at Baltimore and Washington, when none could
be obtained for the ice-houses on the Connecticut shore of Long Island
Sound. In short, although heat and cold are mainly dependent upon the
altitude of the sun, aided by the other arrangements we have alluded to,
yet the counter-trade, and the reciprocal action which takes place between
it and the earth, are most powerful agents, mitigating the rigors of
winter, bringing about the changes from cold to warm weather which the
sun is too far south to produce. And on the other hand, by this reciprocal
action, producing the electrical phenomena, the gusts, the tornadoes, the
hail storms, and the cool seasons of summer, and the period of intense
cold in winter.

_All our surface-winds, except the light, peculiar W. S. W. wind which is
felt where the counter-trade is in contact with the earth, and which is a
part of it, and perhaps the genuine N. W. wind which is very peculiar, are
incidents of the trade, and are due to its conditions and attractions._ We
have already said this was true of the easterly wind and scud of a
storm--it is alike true of all. The storm winds east of the Alleghanies
are usually, though not always, from the eastward. They are sometimes from
the southward, as they doubtless are still more frequently in the interior
of the continent.

There is occasionally a southerly afternoon wind, followed by short rains
in spring and fall, or a succession of showers in summer, which is rather
a precedent wind than a storm wind; blowing toward and under an advance
portion of the storm at the north, and hauling to the eastward when the
rain sets in, or to the westward when the showers reach us.

When there are no storms, or showers, or inducing electric action in the
counter-trade, within influential distance to disturb the surface
atmosphere, it is calm. If a storm approaches, or forms within inducing
distance, the surface atmosphere is _affected_ and _attracted toward the
storm_, from one or more points, and "blows," as we say, toward and under
it. It commences blowing first nearest the storm, and extends as the
storm travels, or becomes more intense and extends its inducing influence.
I have repeatedly noticed this in travel