44 STUDIES OF NATURE» 



the principles of.difcord and harmony; and which 

 may, perhaps, fugged profound and ufeful reflec- 

 tion to fome one of greater ability than I can pre- 

 tend to. It is this, That Nature frequently ac- 

 companies the figns of the diforder which agitates 

 the Ocean, with agreeable expreffions of harmony, 

 that ferve only to redouble the horror of the fcene. 



Thus, for example, in two different ftorms to 

 which 1 was expofed in thofe feas, I did not fee 

 the face of Heaven obfcured by dark clouds, nor 

 thefe clouds furrowed by alternate flames of light- 

 ning, nor a fea muddy and lead-coloured, as in 

 the tempefts of our climates. The fky, on the 

 contrary, prefented a fine blue, and the fea a beau- 

 tiful azure ; there were no other clouds hovering 

 in the air, but fmall aggregations of a ruddy va- 

 por, dark toward the centre, and illuminated, 

 about the extremities, with the yellow luftre of 

 burniflied brafs. They took their departure from 

 a fingle point in the Horizon, and travelled acrofs 

 the Heavens with the rapidity of a bird flying. 

 When the thunder {hivered in pieces our main- 

 maft, in the middle of the night, it did not roll ; 

 and emitted only a crack refembling that of a can- 

 non, ihot off clofe by us. Two other thunder- 

 claps, which had preceded this one, were exactly 

 fimilar. This was in the month of June, which 

 is mid-winter at the Cape of Good-Hope. 



1 was 



