Ch. VI. SOUTH AMERICA. 65 



great joy of the inhabitants again appears, and the 

 country now begins to revive, which during the ab- 

 sence of his rays Iiad continued in a state of languor. 

 This is succeeded by summer, which, though hot from 

 the perpendicular direction of the sun's rays, is far 

 from being insupportable; the heat, which would in- 

 deed otherwise be excessive, being moderated by the 

 south winds, which at this season always blow, though 

 with no great force. At the latter end of June, or 

 the beginning of July, the winter begins, and continues 

 till November or December, the autumn intervening 

 l^etween both. About this time the south winds begin 

 to blow stronger, and bring the cold with them; not 

 indeed equal to that in countries where snow and ice 

 are known, but so keen that the light dresses are lain 

 by, and cloth or other warm stuffs worn. 



There are two causes of the cold felt in tliis 

 country, and nature, wise in all her ways, provides 

 others which produce the same effect at Quito. The 

 iirst cause of cold at Lima is the winds, which passing 

 over the frozen climes of the south pole, bring hither 

 part of the frigoriiic particles from those gelid regions; 

 but as a sufiicient quantity of these could not be brought 

 over such an immense space as lies between the frozen 

 and torrid zones of its hemisphere, nature has provided 

 another expedient ; during the winter, the earth is 

 covered with so thick a fog, as totally to intercept the 

 rays of the sun; and the winds, by being propagated 

 under the shelter of this fog, retain the particles they 

 contracted in the frozen zone. Nor is this fog con- 

 fined to the country of Lima : it extends, with the 

 same density, northward through all the country of 

 Valles, at the same time filling the atmosphere of the 

 sea; as will be shewn hereafter. 



This fog seldom ñiils daily to cover the earth, 

 with a density that obscures objects at any distance. 

 About 10 or 1 1 it begins to rise, but without being to- 

 tally dispersed, though it is then no impediment to the 



Vol. IÍ. F sight. 



