Gil. III. SOUTH AMERICA. • 215 



For tlio' these winds are here called nortes, they are 

 generally between the N. and N. W. and during their 

 season, veering in some squalls totlie N. and in others 

 to tlie N. W. Sudden calms also often intervene ; but 

 if tliese liappen before the wind have passed the trave- 

 sia, it returns in about half, or at least an hour with 

 redoubled fury. These dangerous variations are how- 

 ever indicated by the thickness of the atmosphere, 

 and the dense clouds in the horizon. The duration 

 of these storms is far from being fixed or regular: 

 tho' I well know^ some pilots here will have it, that 

 the N. wind blows twentj'-four hours, and then passes 

 to the travesia ; that it continues therewith equal 

 violence three or four hours, accompanied with show- 

 ers, which abate its first violence; and that it then 

 veers round till it comes to the S. W. when fair wea- 

 ther succeeds. I own indeed that I have in several 

 voyages found this to be true ; but at other times I 

 experienced, that the successive changes of the wind 

 are very diiferent. 1 he storm at N. Í before men- 

 tioned, began iViarch the 29th, at one in the after- 

 noon, and lasted tiíl the 31st at ten at night, which 

 made fifty-seven hours; then the wind sliifted to the 

 travesia, where it continued till the 1st of April with- 

 out any abatement, that is, during the space of twenty- 

 two hours. From the \V. the wind veered round to 

 the VV. S. W. and S. W. still blowing with its former 

 violence. Hence a short calm succeeded; after which, 

 it a second time shifted to the N. where it continued 

 blowing with its former fury fifteen or twenty bours ; 

 iiien came on a second travesia ; anti soon after its 

 violence abated, and the next night shiftcfl from S.W. 

 to S. E. Tbus the whole continuance of the storm was 

 fournaturaldays and nine hours; and I have since met 

 with others of the same violence and duration, as I 

 shall mention in their proper place. What I would 

 infer from my own experience, confirmed by the in- 

 formation of several pilots, is, that the fluration of 

 r 4 these 



