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before they arrived at Chili, cross the torrid 

 zone, and there becoming loaded with vapours, 

 bring with them heat and rain. This heat is, 

 however, very moderate, and it would seem that 

 these winds, in crossing the Andes, which are 

 constantly covered with snow, become qualified, 

 and lose much of their heat and unhealthy pro- 

 perties. In Tucuman and Cujo, where they are 

 known by the name of Sonda, they are much 

 more incommodious and are more suffocating 

 than even the Siroc in Italy. The southerly 

 winds coming immediately from the antarctic 

 pole, are cold and dry. These are usually from 

 the south-west, and prevail in Chili during the 

 time that the sun is in the southern hemisphere. 

 They blow constantly towards the equator, the 

 atmosphere at that period being highly rarified, 

 and no adverse current of air opposing itself to 

 their course. As they disperse the vapours^ and 

 drive them towards the Andes, it rains but sel- 

 dom during their continuance. The clouds thus 

 collected upon these mountains, uniting v.ith 

 those which come from the north, occasion very 

 heavy rains, accompanied with thunder, in all the 

 provinces beyond the Andes, particularly in those 

 of Tucuman and Cujo, while, at the same time, 

 the atmosphere of Chili is constantly clear, and 

 its inliabitants enjoy their finest season. The 

 coulrary fakes place in winter, which is the iine 

 >c;ioii 111 these provinceSj and the rainy in Chili. 



