BOOK III. CHAP. VII. 603 



lafted fome hours ; after day-light, I obferved very thick, watery 

 clouds failing from the point lafl-mcntioiied. 



I before remarked, that towards fun-fet the fea-breeze commonly 

 begins to flacken its force in the South-fidc lowlands, and gradually 

 dies away. After it ceafes to be felt by the inhabitants of thofc 

 parts next-adjacent to the coaft, they receive in its room a gentle 

 gale from the mountains Northwards. Yet fometimes the clouds 

 are feen ftlll purfuing their courfe from the South-eaft. In fa£V, 

 at thefe times the fea-breeze ftill retains its force in the higher 

 parts of the atmofphere, and blows upon the elevated fummits of 

 the mountainous diftrids for a confiderable time afterwards ; from 

 whence it is reflefted towards the South coaft : fo that the moun- 

 taineers have it in a fteady current with them the whole night at 

 fuch times ; whilft the inhabitants of the lower favannahs have 

 what feems to them a land-wind. 



At a houfe fituated on a hill at the North fide, the fea-breeze 

 frequently remained with us all night, when the people on the 

 coaft had a land-wind. 



The land-wind, therefore, proceeds occafionally from the fea- 

 breeze, refle£led down from the mountainous ridges. This effe£l 

 is produced by the particular figure of the iflaiid ; which I can 

 compare to nothing apter than an accumulation of feveral high 

 roofs contiguous to each other, fet upon a plain furface. 



I had a further confirmation of this fingularity in May, 1761 ; at 

 which time I was at a gentleman's houfe on the South fide, which 

 flands on a little infulated ftony hill, rifing out of a favannah 

 that extends to the fea. Behind it, at the diflance of about a 

 quarter of a mile, is a high mountain, communicating with ftill 

 higher ranges, of a vaft extent. He informed me, that, the night 

 before my arrival, a violent guft of wind from the Southward, 

 about midnight, fet direftly againft the front of his houf: ; and 

 fhortly afterwards another, almoft as furious, attacked the back- 

 part from the Northward; lb that he was not witliout apprehen- 

 fions, that his houfe, and every thing in it, would have been 

 blown down the hill. It is reafonnble to conjefturc, that this fudden 

 and impetuous guft, which allaulted the front of his houfe with 

 fuch vehemence, meeting prefently afterwards with refiftance fiom 



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