138 THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA. 



rises. The time at which it becomes calm after the land and sea 

 breezes is indefinite, and the calms are of unequal duration. Gen- 

 erally, those which precede the sea-breeze are rather longer than 

 those which precede the land-breeze. The temperature of the 

 land, the direction of the coast-line with respect to the prevailing 

 direction of the trade-wind in which the land is situated, the clear- 

 ness of the atmosphere, the position of the sun, perhaps also that 

 of the moon, the surface over which the sea-breeze blows, possibly 

 also the degree of moisture and the electrical state of the air, the 

 heights of the mountains, their extent, and their distance from the 

 coast, all have influence thereon. Local observations in regard to 

 these can afford much light, as well as determine the distance at 

 which the land-breeze blows from the coast, and beyond which the 

 regular trade-wind or monsoon continues uninterruptedly to blow. 

 The direction of land and sea winds must also be determined by 

 local observations, for the idea is incorrect that they should always 

 blow perpendicularly to the coast-line. Scarcely has one left the 

 Java Sea — which is, as it were, an inland sea between Sumatra, 

 Borneo, Java, and the archipelago of small islands between both 

 of the last named — than, in the blue waters of the easterly part of 

 the East Indian Archipelago, nature assumes a bolder aspect, more 

 in harmony with the great depth of the ocean. The beauty of 

 the Java Sea, and the delightful phenomena which air and ocean 

 display, have here ceased. The scene becomes more earnest. The 

 coasts of the eastern islands rise boldly out of the water, far in 

 whose depths they have planted their feet. The southeast wind, 

 which blows upon the southern coasts of the chain of islands, is 

 sometimes violent, always strong through the straits which sepa- 

 rate them from each other, and this appears to be more and more 

 the case as we go eastward. Here, also, upon the northern coast, 

 wc find land-breezes, yet the trade- wind often blows so violently 

 tliat they have not sufiicient power to force it beyond the coast. 

 Owing to the obstruction which the chain of islands presents to 

 the southeast trade-wind, it happens that it blows with violence 

 away over the mountains, apparently as the land-breeze does upon 

 the north coast ;* yet this wind, which only rises when it blows 

 hard from the southeast upon the south coast, is easily distin- 



f Such is the case, among others, in the Strait of Madura, upon the heights of 

 Bezoekie. 



