§ 314, 315. RED FOGS AND SEA BREEZES. 129 



horizon. But, glancing the eye above and around, you are daz- 

 zled with the splendors of the firmament. The moon and the 

 planets stand out from it; they do not seem to touch the blue 

 vault in which the stars are set. The Southern Cross is just about 

 to culminate. Climbing up in the east are the Centaurs, Spica, 

 Bootes, and Antares, with his lovely little companion, which only 

 the best telescopes have power to unveil. These are all bright 

 particular stars, differing from one another in color as they do in 

 glory. At the same time, the western sky is glorious with its 

 brilliants too. Orion is there, just about to march down into the 

 sea ; but Canopus and Sirius, with Castor and his twin brother, 

 and Procyon, ij Argus, and Kegulus — these are high up in their 

 course ; they look down with great splendor, smiling peacefully 

 IS they precede the Southern Cross on its western way. And 

 yonder, farther still, away to the south, float the Magellanic clouds, 

 and the " Coal Sacks" — those mysterious, dark spots in the sky, 

 which seem as though it had been rent, and these were holes in 

 the "azure robe of night," looking out into the starless, empty, 

 black abyss beyond. One who has never watched the southern sky 

 in the stillness of the night, after the sea breeze with its turmoil 

 is done, can have no idea of its grandeur, beauty, and loveliness. 



814. Within the tropics, however, the land and sea breezes are 

 Landandseabreezes ^orc gcutlc, and, though the night-sccnes thcrc are 

 fntertrSpLf "'coun- ^ot SO suggcstivc as thosc just dcscribcd, yet they 

 '"®^- are exceedingly delightful and altogether lovely. 



The oppressive heat of the sun and the climate of the sea-shore is 

 mitigated and made both refreshing and healthful by the alterna- 

 tion of those winds which invariably come from the coolest place 

 — the sea. which is the cooler by day, and the land, which is the 

 cooler by night. About ten in the morning the heat of the sun 

 has played upon the land with sufficient intensity to raise its tem- 

 perature above that of the water. ^ A portion of this heat, being 

 imparted to the superincumbent air, causes it to rise, when the air, 

 first from the beach, then from the sea, to the distance of several 

 miles, begins to flow in with a most delightful and invigorating 

 freshness. 



315. When a fire is kindled on the hearth, we may, if we will 

 Cause of land and obscrvc the moats floating in the room, see that 

 eeebreezea. ^^^g^ j^gjircst to the chimney are the first to fed 



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