112 Remarks on Madeira, Climate of the Tropics, 



vays, but also in proportion to their increasing distance, during 

 his apparent motion from the perihehon to the aphehon ; and, 

 on the contrary, the diminution of the sun's influence on the 

 northern hemisphere, from his increasing obliquity, instead of 

 being further increased by a secession, is rendered less by his 

 continual approach, during his apparent motion from the aphe- 

 lion to the perihelion. 



2. In consequence of the gradual and maximum advance of the 

 perigeum on the ecliptic, since the coincidence of the perihelion 

 and aphelion with the equinoctial points, in the beginning, and 

 in consequence of the progressive motion of the perihelion ac- 

 cording to the order of the signs in the same orbit; likewise since 

 the sun is nearly eight days longer in the northern than in the 

 southern hemisphere, and has been about 100* years longer in 

 it, since the beginning, or, strictly speaking, since the omnipotent 

 fiat of the projectile force. 



3. The abstractive force in the atmosphere during the absence 

 of the sun is greater in proportion than the attractive force of 

 the earth during his presence. 



4. The greater collection of waters in the southern hemisphere, 

 which, from the preceding circumstances, indicate the great and 

 continued abstraction of calorific, in the successive and protracted 

 accumulations of ice. The excess of waters in the southern he- 

 misphere, which, by absorbing to a certain dejjth the matter of 

 heat, admits of a protracted abstraction of it during the long 

 absence of the sun ; the sun being nearer to it, in the middle of 

 their summer south, than ours north, by the aforesaid distance; 

 and the increase of the sun's influence, in the continued dim- 

 nution of his obliciuity, being further augmented bv his con- 

 tinual approach, during the time of his leaving the aphelion 

 until his arriving at the perihelion, are the principal circumstances 

 relating to the sun's influence on the southern hemisphere, which 

 are comparatively of less force than the foregoing, in relation 

 to his influence on the northern hemisphere. 



And hence it is, that islands, although not in very high southern 

 latitudes, are colder, or are impregnated with frost, or covered 

 with snow, to a degree beyond what islands or places in the 

 same or higher latitudes north are. I was informed by two men 

 (in the Coromandel at present) who had formerly belonged to the 

 Emerald South-sea-man elephant- hunter, of -110 tons, Mr. 

 James Walker master, — that on this vessel having touched at the 

 island of Desolation, in the latter end of July in 181 1, they had 

 occasion to inter the body of a man, which, on arriving there 



* Plhsve m'nimvc. — The exact time I leave to such accurate mathema- 

 ticians to find out as Mr. Keith, the only writer I know of that has exqui- 

 sitely simplified the ambiguities of oblique-angled spherical triangles. 



about 



