08 MONSOONS -THEIR CAUSE. 



delicious, and the sky is varied and embellished 

 with clouds. 



" The effect of this change is visible on all the 

 animal creation, and can only be imagined in 

 Europe by supposing the depth of a dreary winter 

 to start at once into all the freshness and brilliancy 

 of spring. From that time the rain falls at 

 intervals for about a month, when it comes on 

 again with great violence ; and in July the rains 

 are at their height. During the third month they 

 rather diminish, but are still heavy. In September 

 they gradually abate, and are often suspended till 

 near the end of the month, when they depart amid 

 thunders and tempests, as they came." 



Such are the effects of the rr .nsoons upon land 

 and sea. Of course the t<- .inc gales that usher 

 them in and out could not be expected to pass with- 

 out doing a good deal of damage, especially to 

 shipping. But this is more than compensated by 

 the facilities which they afford to navigation. 



In many parts of the world, especially in the 

 Indian Ocean, merchants calculate with certainty 

 on these periodical winds. They despatch their ships 

 with, say, the north-east monsoon, transact business 

 in distant lands, and receive them back, laden with 

 foreign produce, by the south-west monsoon. If 

 there were no monsoons, the voyage from Canton to 

 England could not be accomplished in nearly so 

 short a time as it is at present. 



And now as to the cause of monsoons. They are, 



