1 INTRODUCTION. 



Manilla is situated within the range of the typhoons ; it is at times 

 subject to those disastrous hurricanes. They seldom if ever approach 

 nearer to the equator than 9 of latitude in the China Sea; they are 

 expected in the months of June and July. Their duration is seldom 

 over six or seven hours, but in that time they make terrible havoc ; 

 they come on from the eastward, and veer to the southward and 

 southwest; when it clears, the monsoon resumes its usual character. 



There has been no record kept of the amount of rain at Manilla : 

 as far as I could ascertain, the fall is supposed to be very great. 



Our route, after leaving Manilla, was through the Sooloo Sea, stop- 

 ping at the island of Mindanao, the most southern of the Philippines, 

 and afterwards at that of Sooloo. In this sea the monsoons do not pre- 

 vail with the same regularity as in the China Sea. The high islands 

 on the west and east serve to divert them from their usual directions. 

 The climate, like that of the Philippines, is divided into a wet and 

 dry season, the former from May till September, the latter from Octo- 

 ber to April. During June and July strong gales prevail from the 

 westward. In August and September the winds are from the south, 

 and at times blow in hard gales ; and during December and January 

 they are subject to gales from the north : the rest of the year the winds 

 are light and variable, from the southwest during the wet, and the 

 northeast in the dry season ; frequent calms also take place. The 

 barometer during our passage ranged at 29-950 in. At the island of 

 Sooloo we remained four days: the mean standing of the barometer was 

 29-856 in., that of the thermometer in the air 79-1, water 79-3. In 

 the Sooloo Sea we found the solar radiation, the mean of 23 observa- 

 tions, sun 104-7, shade 81-7, difference 23 ; greatest difference 40, 

 least 7. The maximum temperature at the island of Sooloo through- 

 out the year, is 87, and the minimum 75. 



From the Sooloo Sea to Singapore, we crossed the China Sea 

 obliquely, favoured with the northeast monsoon, in seven days. The 

 weather was remarkably fine, and the breeze moderate : unlike the 

 trade winds, it does not appear to have its periods of increase and 

 decrease, and is more equable throughout the day and night. This 

 would point to a different cause from that which is generally 

 thought to be required to produce the effects witnessed. I regret 

 that my space here will not permit me to enter more fully into this 

 subject ; but I shall endeavour to do so in another department of the 

 Expedition. 



