36o A VOYAGE TO Book IX. 



failors San Telmo, which lailcd fix hours. Some ima- 

 gine this meteor to be a fign of fair weather; but this 

 opinion is as lirtle to be relied on as many others adopt- 

 ed without refieition, and jultly called vulgar errors: ic 

 is only a natural phsenomenon, more particularly leen 

 in nitrous and damp places of the caith, ia church- 

 yards and the like, and on the fea it proceeds from the 

 fame caulej and though it moil commonly makes its 

 appearance in Piormy weather, the agitation of the 

 waves fending forth a greater quantity of nitrous par- 

 ticles, and being more copioufly carried up to a greater 

 height, by the force of the winds, the luminous matter 

 fettles at the extremity of the malts or yards by a fm^al! 

 part of it, vvhilit the remainder has the appearance of 

 a flame in the air: yet it is not very uncommon lo fee 

 this meteor in fair eafv weather : and this was the cafe 

 here, it i)éing quite calm; and in the Delivrance on 

 the ninth ot Augufr, at half an hour a.kc-r one in the 

 morning, and in 28° 40' S. lat. we faw one of thefe 

 kinds of lights, and on the fame part of the m.aft ; 

 but ours only lafted an hour, the .wind at that time 

 was but faint ; and this alfo had been preceded by 

 hard violent ihowers attended with fome wind; and the 

 atmofphere every where covered with a thick cloud. 

 In both initances no temped happened before or foon 

 afcer; confequently they coiicurred to confute and 

 explode the talle notions of failors, who arc pcfltiTed 

 v/nh a belief of certain conl'cquences being prelagcd 

 by thcfe lights, according to their fitiiation, the 

 part of the lea and thft time ; and may likewife un- 

 deceive thoie, who too eafily fwimming with the 

 ilrcam of vulgar opinicns, are fond of turning the 

 fortuitous effects and products of nature into ommous 

 myiterics. 



On the 15th, in the long, of i s° 30' tJ^^y í^^^w great 



numbers oí birds, which in their opinion indicated 



that land was not far off, and accordingly lay to all 



7 ^^^^-^ 



