242. STUDIES OF NATURE. 



their flame in the night time, and their fmoke by 

 day. 



The Maldivia iflands are defended againft the 

 Ocean, by precautions the mod aftonilliing. In 

 truth, they are more expofed than many others, 

 being fituated in the very midft of that great Cur- 

 rent of the Indian Ocean, of which mention has 

 been already made_, and which pafles and repafles 

 them twice a year. They are, befides, fo low, as 

 hardly to rife above the level of the water ; and 

 they are fo fmall, and fo numerous, that they 

 have been computed at twelve thoufand, and fe- 

 veral are fo near each other, that it is poffible to 

 leap over the channel which divides them. Na- 

 ture has firfl; collefted them into cluflers, or ar- 

 chipelagos, feparated from each other by deep 

 channels which go from Eaft to Weft, and which 

 prefent various paffages to the general Current of 

 the Indian Ocean. Thefe clufters are thirteen in 

 number, and extend, in a row, from the eighth 

 degree of northern to the fourth degree of fouthern 

 Latitude, which gives them a length of three 

 hundred of our leagues of 25 to a degree. 



But let us permit the interefting and unfortu- 

 nate Francis Pyrard, who there paffed the flower of 

 his days, in a fl:ate of flavery, to defcribe the ar- 

 chitedure of them ; for he has left us the bed 



defcription 



