THE EARTH. 309 



a vast tract of ocean, lying off its shores, equally 

 unvisited by the mariner. 



But of all those terrible tempests that deform 

 the face of nature, and repress human presump- 

 tion, the sandy tempests of Arabia and Africa are 

 the most terrible, and strike the imagination most 

 strongly. To conceive a proper idea of these, we 

 are by no means to suppose them resembling 

 those whirlwinds of dust that we sometimes see 

 scattering in our air, and sprinkling their contents 

 .upon our roads or meadows. The sand storm of 

 Africa exhibits a very different appearance. As 

 the sand of which the whirlwind is composed is 

 excessively fine, and almost resembles the parts 

 of water, its motion entirely resembles that of a 

 fluid ; and the whole plain seems to float onward, 

 like a slow inundation. The body of sand thus 

 rolling, is deep enough to bury houses and palaces 

 in its bosom : Travellers who are crossing those 

 jextensive deserts, perceive its approach at a dis- 

 tance, and in general have time to avoid it, or 

 turn out of its way, as it generally extends but to 

 a moderate breadth. However, when it is ex- 

 tremely rapid, or very extensive, as sometimes is 

 the case, no swiftness, no art, can avail ; nothing 

 then remains but to meet death with fortitude, 

 and submit to be buried alive with resignation. 



It is happy for us of Britain that we have no 

 such calamity to fear ; for from this even some 

 parts of Europe are not entirely free. We have 

 an account given us, in the History of the French 

 Academy, of a miserable town in France that is 

 constantly in danger of being buried under a 



