106 



A HISTORY OF 



there during the months of April and May ; 

 they are known at Loango from January to 

 April; on the opposite coast of Africa, the 

 hurricane season begins in May; and, in ge- 

 neral, whenever a trade-wind begins to cease, 

 these irregular tempests are found to exert 

 their fury. 



All this is terrible : but there is a tempest, 

 known in those climates, more formidable than 

 any we have hitherto been describing, which 

 is called, by the Spaniards, a Tornado. As 

 the former was seen arriving from one part 

 of the heavens, and making a line of destruc- 

 tion ; so the winds in this seem to blow from 

 every quarter, and settle upon one destined 

 place, with such fury, that nothing can resist 

 their vehemence. When they have all met 

 in their central spot, then the whirlwind be- 

 gins with circular rapidity. The sphere every 

 moment widens, as it continues to turn, and 

 catches every object that lies within its attrac- 

 tion. This also, like the former, is preceded 

 by a flattering calm; the air is every where 

 hushed ; and the sea is as smooth as polished 

 glass : however, as its effects are more dread- 

 ful than those of the ordinary hurricane, the 

 mariner tries all the power of his skill to 

 avoid it; which, if he fails of doing, there is 

 the greatest danger of his going to the bot- 

 tom. All along the coasts of Guinea, begin- 

 ning about two degrees north of the line, and 

 so downward, lengthwise, for about a thou- 

 sand miles, and as many broad, the ocean is 

 unnavigable on account of these tornadoes. 

 In this torrid region there reign unceasing 

 tornadoes, or continual calms ; among which, 

 whatever ship is so unhappy as to fall, is to- 

 tally deprived of all power of escaping. In 

 this dreadful repose of all the elements, the 

 solitary vessel is obliged to continue, without 

 a single breeze to assist the mariner's wishes, 

 except those whirlwinds, which only serve to 

 increase his calamity. At present, therefore, 

 this part of the ocean is totally avoided ; and, 

 although there may be much gold along the 

 coasts of that part of Africa, to tempt avarice, 

 yet there is something much more dreadful 

 than the fabled dragon of antiquity, to guard 

 the treasure. Asthe internal parts of that coun- 

 try are totally unknown to travellers, from 

 their burning sands and extensive deserts, 

 so here we find a vast tract of ocean, lying 



oiF its shores, equally unvisited by the ma- 

 riner. 



But of all these terrible tempests that de- 

 form the face of Nature, and repress human 

 presumption, 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 

 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 com- 

 posed is excessively fine, and almost resem- 

 bles the parts of water, its motion entirely re- 

 sembles 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 nouses and palaces in its bosom : tra- 

 vellers, who are crossing those extensive de- 

 serts, perceive its approach at a distance ; 

 and, in genera 1 have time to avoid it, or turn 

 out of its way, as it generally extends but to 

 a moderate breadth. However, when it is 

 extremely rapid, or very extensive, as some- 

 times 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 be- 

 ing buried under a similar inundation; with 

 which I will take leave to close this chapter. 

 " In the neighbourhood of St. Paul de Leon, 

 in Lower Brittany, there lies a tract of coun- 

 try along the sea-side, which before the year 

 1666 was inhabited, but now lies deserted, 

 by reason of the sands which cover it, to the 

 height of twenty feet ; and which every year 

 advance more and more inland, and gain 

 ground continually. From the time men- 

 tioned above, the sand has buried more than 

 six leagues of the country inward : and it is 

 now but half a league from the town of St. 

 Paul ; so that, in all appearance, the inha- 



" Histoire de 1'Academie des Sciences, an. 1722. 



