1823.] the Coast of Africa. 363 



tempestuous), subject to the same periodical division of seasons 

 as the Gold Coast till the middle of September, when the second 

 rains set in with the greatest possible violence, frequently- 

 attended with the heaviest tornados. I also found that on the 

 eastern side of it, from Lagos quite round over that alluvial land 

 through which the great rivers flow, a slight tornado came off 

 about sunset every evening during the month of November. 



In the Bight of Biafra, the tornado season commences in the 

 beginning of February, and lasts to the middle of March, when 

 it is succeeded by the first rains. These continue to the middle 

 of May, and are then followed to the end of that month by the 

 fogs, but they are not nearly so dense as in the Bight of Benin, 

 especially in the neighbourhood of the islands. From this 

 time to the middle of September the weather is particularly fine, 

 but seldom unaccompanied with haze. At the latter period, the 

 second rains set in, and fall extremely heavily to the end of 

 October, when they begin to subside, and are followed by fine 

 weather till the tornados recommence in February. 



The above description of the weather within the before-men- 

 tioned limits on the Coast of Africa, although it appears to be 

 divided, and governed by laws with the most perfect regularity, 

 is by no means to be considered as not subject to any variation ; 

 as, for example, in July, 1819, on the Gold Coast and Bight of 

 Benin, although generally subject to fogs, I experienced a con- 

 siderable quantity of rain till I reached the river Ramos, from 

 thence around Cape Formosa, and into the Bight of Biafra, the 

 weather was particularly fine although attended with some 

 haze. 



Again in the year 1820, I was cruizing in the Bight of Biafra 

 during the whole of the months of June and July, and nothing 

 could exceed the delightful state of the weather; but in the end 

 of July, 1821, I rounded the Bight of Benin in a thick fog, and 

 on approaching Cape Formosa, and running along the north coast 

 of Biafra, I found heavy rains constantly falling from midnight 

 to noon, which continued for nearly a month. 



Also, although a portion of the year is called the tornado 

 season, tornados are not uncommon during the periodical rains, 

 insomuch that in the neighbourhood of Sierra Leone, the end of 

 September is frequently called the second tornado season. 



The following daily statement of the temperature is the 

 mean of three observations of the thermometer taken generally 

 at 8 a. m. 1 p. m. and 8 p. m. 



The thermometer was hung against the middle partition of 

 the Pheasant's cabin, with the doors, windows, and ports, always 

 open to admit a free circulation of air. 



