94- HISTORY OF 



perceived blowing in upon land, in order to fill 

 up the vacuity caused by the sun's operation. 

 In those shores, therefore, the wind blows in a 

 contrary direction to that of its general current, 

 and is constantly found setting in from the west. 



From the same cause it happens, that those 

 constant calms, attended with deluges of rain, 

 are found in the same part of the ocean. For 

 this tract being placed in the middle, between the 

 westerly winds blowing on the coast of Guinea, 

 and the easterly trade-winds that move at some 

 distance from shore in a contrary direction, the 

 tendency of that part of the air that lies between 

 these two opposite currents is indifferent to either, 

 and so rests between both in torpid serenity ; and 

 the weight of the incumbent atmosphere being 

 diminished by the continual contrary winds blow- 

 ing from hence, it is unable to keep the vapours 

 suspended that are copiously borne thither ; so 

 that they fall in continual rains. 



But it is not to be supposed, that any theory 

 can account for all the phenomena of even those 

 winds that are known to be most regular. In- 

 stead of a complete system of the trade-winds, 

 we must rather be content with an imperfect 

 history. These, as was said, being the result of 

 a combination of effects, assume as great a variety 

 as the causes producing them are various.* 



Besides the great general wind above mention- 

 ed, in those parts of the Atlantic that lie under 

 the temperate zone, a north wind prevails con- 



* Buffon, vol. ii. p. 230. 



