70 A VOYAGE TO Book VII, 



on truth; for if the force or ag^itation of the south 

 winds be the cause which hinders the vapours from 

 rising to the lieight necessary for forming* rain, this 

 cause generally ceasing- in tlie summer, the rain might 

 be expected to descend ; whereas quite the reverse 

 happens, the garúas being then much less common. 

 6. Particular times have been known when the nature 

 of the country departing as it were from its usual 

 course, formal showers have fallen, as we have already 

 mentioned (chap i.) in describing the towns of Cho- 

 cope, Truxillo, Tumbez, and other places ; but with 

 this singularity, that the winds continued at south, and 

 blew^ much stronger during the time of the rain, than 

 is usual either in winter or summer. 



These six preliminary principles are so common 

 to this clim.ate, that they may be applied to all the 

 places mentioned in this chapter ; and are the only 

 guides that must be followed in determining the true 

 cause why it does not rain in Peru as in Europe, or, 

 more properly, as is c'bmmon in the torrid zone. 



It will readily be granted, that the wind blows 

 more strongly in some regions of the atmosphere than 

 in others; experience itself having sufficiently proved 

 this to be fact ; as on high mountains, along whose 

 summits a strong wind is felt, when at the foot hard- 

 ly any can be perceived ; at least we found this to 

 be the case in all the mountains of the Cordilleras, 

 one of the greatest inconveniences to us being the 

 strength of the wind. And indeed this is every where 

 so common, that any person may be convinced of it 

 by only ascending a high tower, then he will soon 

 perceive the difl'erence between the strength of the 

 \vind atlhe top and at the bottom. I am not igno- 

 rant tliatsome have endeavoured to prove, that on 

 the land this proceeds from the inequalities of its 

 surface, vhich hii)der the winds from blowing in the 

 plains or low countries with that force which is felt 

 ou eminences; but the same thing happening at sea, 



as 



