D/ GUIJNJ. -47 



canes which feem to threaten inftant diffolution. Guiana is 

 happily free from thefe fcourges of the Antilles. Their force 

 has lately been partially felt at Tobago, which was thought be- 

 yond their reach. In Trinidad, the greatefl ftorms they have 

 hitherto experienced, do not deferve the name of hurricanes ; 

 and to the fouthward, on the main of America, they are utterly 

 unknown. The diiference then between Guiana and. the iflandg 

 is this : In the former, the rainy feafon fets in earlier, as indeed 

 the fim is fooncr vertical. Their principal rains are in the end 

 of April, in May, June and July. They are alfo fooner over ; 

 for AiTgull, Septeniber and October, and I believe part of July, 

 are commonly fair weather. But again, November in part, De- 

 cember, January and February, reckoned dry montlis among 

 the iilands, are in Guiana a fecond rainy feafon. The caufe of 

 this I take to be as follows : North-eaflerly winds, pretty ftiff, 

 cold, and bleak comparatively in thefe climates, are frequent 

 among the iflands during the winter months. They are well 

 known by the name of Norths. They are often accompanied 

 with rain, but it is not very heavy, nor thought of confe- 

 quence enough to give the denomination of a rainy feafon. 

 Thefe winds we know to reach as far as the coaft of Guiana ; 

 and there I have reafon to believe they are produdlive of more 

 rain than in the iflands. The face of a large continent, and 

 its effedls upon the amiofphere, may very probably make them 

 give up more of their humidity than they do among the An- 

 tilles, though, at the fame time, their force and bleaknefs may 

 not be fo much felt. If this conje(5lure hits the truth, the fol- 

 lowing ought to be corollaries, and are left to future obferva- 

 tion. In this rainy feafon, when the fun is near the fouthern 

 folftice, their rains will be with pretty fteady northerly^ breezes 

 on the coaft. They may be of longer continuance at a time, 

 but they will not be fo heavy as thofe of fummer, and they 

 will be chiefly on the fea-coaft, and probably will not extend a 

 great way up the country. It remains even a query with me, 

 3 whether 



