Introduction: Seasons and Winds. IQ 



to blow towards the parts of the Indian Ocean and islands about the equator, 

 now no longer the hottest quarter, stops, and, turning back, commences to move 

 towards the heated Continent as the S.W. Monsoon. This wind is general 

 from about April to October in the Indian Ocean and the East Indian 

 Archipelago north of the equator, sometimes extending as far east as the 

 Marianne Islands and as far north as the south of Japan. 



The South-east Monsoon. — During the time that the sun continues north 

 of the equator and the South-west Monsoon is blowing, the S.E. Trade-wind 

 in general has free course in the Southern Tropics, and from April to October 

 is the wind of the East Indian Archipelago south of the equator, 

 where it is commonly spoken of as the South-east Monsoon. The general 

 direction of it and of the S.W. Monsoon of the Northern East Indies is shown 

 on Map III. 



The North-east Monsoon. — When the sun, at the autumnal equinox, passes 

 into the southern hemisphere, the N.E. Trade-wind reasserts itself in the parts 

 where it has had to give way to the S.W. Monsoon, and, displacing that wind, 

 it blows from some time in October, to April. It is then the prevailing 

 wind of the Archipelago nortli of the equator. 



The North-ivest Monsoon. — At this time of the year, in the zone of calms 

 about the equator between the N.E. and S.E. Trade-winds, a westerly monsoon, 

 unaccountable to meteorologists at the time of Maury's celebrated work (1869), 

 sets off and blows in a narrow, curved belt across nearly the whole width of 

 the great oceans; much, one may suppose, as the return current flows back 

 towards the buttresses of the bridge under which a swift river passes. Out of 

 this belt there arises the N.W. Monsoon of Australia and the East Indies south 

 of the equator. Corresponding with the S.W. Monsoon of the north of the 

 equator, the N.W. Monsoon evidently is originated by the heating of the interior 

 of Australia and New Guinea during the southern summer, and it is the 

 prevailing wind throughout the Archipelago from the equator south- 

 wards during the period October to April. See Map IV. 



The Rains: north of the equator. — Between April and October the S W. 

 Monsoon, arising in the Indian Ocean about the equator or to the south of it near 

 Sumatra, reaches the northern half of that island saturated with moisture and 

 produces the rainy season there and along the west coast of the Malay Penin- 

 sula. The mountain-ranges running through the middle of that peninsula 

 probably hold back the clouds, for, as the wind passes over the east coast, it 

 is the fine season there, though there are occasional showers. In the Gulf of 

 Siam the wind again commences to take up moisture ; here, during the cruise of 

 H. M. S. "Saracen" between 1855 — 58 a rough sea was experienced at this time 

 of year, and, on the opposite coast "strong breezes with much rain and occasion- 

 ally a fresh gale" (Direct. Ind. Arch. 1870 p. 17). Cambodia and the neighbouring 

 parts of Siam have then their wet season. Further east the wind, passing over 

 the middle of Sumatra and gathering vapour afresh in the south part of the 



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