60 NATURAL HISTORY. 



of the year south winds almost always prevail. The 

 Dutch, in order to return from Java, generally set sail 

 in the month of January or February by an easterly 

 wind, which is felt as far as 18 degrees northern lati- 

 tude, after which they meet with south winds which 

 carry them to St. Helena. 



In the Mediterranean, the winds blow from the land 

 towards the sea at the sun's setting, and, on the con- 

 trary, from the sea towards the land at its rising. 

 Hence in the morning it is an easterly wind, and in 

 the evening a westerly wind. The south wind, which 

 is rainy, and which generally blows at Paris, Burgun- 

 dy, and Champagne, at the beginning of November, 

 and which gives place to mild and temperate breezes, 

 produces the fair weather vulgarly called the summer 

 of St Martin's. 



On the sea, the winds are more regular than at 

 land, because the temperature of the sea is more equal 

 than that of the land. For the temperature of the 

 latter is altered by a variety of causes ; such as elec- 

 tricity, volcanoes, exhalations from the earth, the 

 explosion of meteors, &c. 



In general, on the sea, the east winds and those 

 which come from the poles, are stronger than the west 

 and those which proceed from the equators. On the 

 land, on the contrary, the west and south winds are 

 more or less violent than the east and north winds, ac- 

 cording to the situation of the climates. 



Contrary currents are often observed in the air ; 

 clouds that move in one direction, and others which 

 are higher or lower than the first, proceed in a direc- 

 tion perfectly opposite. This contrariety of motion 

 however does not remain very long, and it is common- 

 ly produced only by the resistance of some clouds to 



