Lesson XVH.j TRADE-WIrfDS. 95 



produce regular winds about the torrid zone, yet 

 very striking irregularities are often found to take 

 place. A remarkable instance we have in Mon- 

 soon$ t which are winds that in the Indian ocean, 

 &c. blow for six months together one way, and 

 the next six months the contrary way : these with 

 sea and land breezes do not seem easily accounted 

 for on any other principle than that of rarefaction. 

 Perhaps some persons may be led to suppose that 

 the winds in the northern temperate zone should be 

 between the north and east towards the poles, and 

 between the south and west nearer the equator, 

 almost as regular as the Trade-winds: but when 

 the changes of seasons, the different capacities of 

 land and water for heat, the interference and op- 

 position of the two general currents are considered, 

 it might be concluded almost next to impossible 

 that the winds in the temperate zone should exhibit 

 any thing like regularity. However, notwithstand- 

 ing this, observations sufficiently evince, that the 

 winds therein are, for the most part, in the direc- 

 tion of one of the general currents : namely, some- 

 where between the south and west, or almost as 

 commonly between the north and east j and that 

 winds in other directions happen only as acci- 

 dental varieties, chiefly in unsettled weather. 



We may have frequently taken notice, that 

 several winds, particularly stormy ones, are at- 

 tended with a cloudy sky. To this it may be added, 

 that we have more winds than usually occur in 

 rather less latitudes, where the atmosphere is gene- 

 rally more serene: these considered make it exceed- 

 ingly 



