5S4 ULLOA's voyage to south AMERICA. 



between both. About this time the fouth winds begin to blow ftronger, and bring 

 the cold with them ; not indeed equal to that in countries where fnow and ice are 

 known, but fo keen that the light drefles are laid by, and cloth or other warm fluffs 

 worn. 



There are two caufes of the cold felt in this country, and nature, wife in all her 

 waySj provides others which produce the fame effeft at Quito. The firft caufe of cold 

 at Lima is the winds, which paffing over the frozen climes of the fouth pole, bring 

 hither part of the frigorific particles from thofe gelid regions; but as a fufficient 

 quantity of thefe could not be brought over fuch an immenfe fpace as lies between 

 the frozen and torrid zones of its hemifphere, nature has provided another expedient ; 

 during the winter, the earth is covered with fo thick a fog, as totally to intercept the 

 rays of the fun ; and the winds, by being propagated under the Ihelter of this fog, 

 retain the particles they contracted in the frozen zone. Nor is this fog confined to 

 the country of Lima : it extends, with the fame denfity, northward through all the 

 country of Valles, at the fame time filling the atmofphere of the fea ; as will be ihewn 

 hereafter. 



This fog feldom fails daily to cover the earth, with a denfity that obfcures objedls 

 at any dillance. About ten or eleven it begins to rife, but without being totally dif- 

 perfed, though it is then no impediment to the fight, intercepting only the rays of the 

 fun by day, and by night thofe of the ftars, the Iky being continually covered what- 

 ever height the vapours float in the atmofphere. Sometimes, indeed, they are fo 

 far difperfed as to admit of feeing the dilk of the fun, but ftill precluding the heat of 

 his rays. 



It is not unworthy obfervation on this head, that at the diftance of only two or three 

 leagues, the vapours are much more diflipated from noon to evening than in the city, 

 the fun fully appearing fo as to moderate the coldnefs of the air. Alfo at Callao, 

 which is only two leagues and a half from Lima, the winter is much more mild, and 

 the air clearer, during that feafon ; for the days at Lima are very melancholy and 

 difagreeable, not only on account of the darknefs, but frequently during the whole day 

 the vapours continue in the fame degree of denfity and pofition, without breaking, or 

 being elevated above the earth. 



It is in this feafon only that the vapours diffolve into a very fmall mifl or dew, 

 which they call garua, and thus every where equally moiflens the earth ; by which 

 means all thofe hills, which during the other part of the year offer nothing to the 

 fight but rocks and waftes, are cloathed with verdure, and enamelled with flowers 

 of the mofl: beautiful colours, to the great joy of the inhabitants, who, as foon as the 

 feverity of winter is abated, refort into the country, which exhibits fo elegant an 

 appearance. * Thefe garuas or dews never fall in quantities fufiicient to damage the 

 roads, or incommode the traveller ; a very thin fl:uff will not foon be wet through ; 

 but the continuance of the mifts during the whole winter, without being exhaled by 

 the fun, renders the mofl: arid and barren parts fertile. For the fame reafon they 

 turn the difagreeable dufl; in the fl:reets of Lima into a mud, which is rather more 

 offenfive. 



* 1 cannot underftand what the Author means here by " feverity of the winter," unlefs he would fo 

 denominate the moft pleafant time of the year ; for during this time, while the fun's rays are cut off by 

 the mifts, there is a continual fpring : and plants and herbs recruit their ftrengch to endure the perpen- 

 dicular rays of the fun, which break through the mifts about the middle of November. A. 



1 2 The 



