194 CLIMATE. 



Mysore —The whole of this country has somewhat of the 

 character of a table-land with its accompanying mountains. 

 The elevation varies from 1900 to 4700 feet. The climate, 

 according to Hamilton, is temperate and healthy to a de- 

 gree unknown in any other tract withm the tropics. The 

 monsoons, or boisterous periodical rains, which at different 

 times delude the coast of Coromandel and Malabar, have 

 their force broken by the Ghauts, and from either side ex- 

 tend to the interior in frequent showers, which, though 

 sometimes heavy, are seldom of long continuance, and pre- 

 serve both the temperature of the cUmate and the verdure 

 of the fields throughout the year. The island of feerin- 

 gapatam, on which the capital is built, is under the influence 

 of both the north-east and south-west monsoons ; rainy 

 weather continues from the beginning of May until the 

 commencement of December. January, February, March, 

 and April are dry and sultry. From the middle ot Decem- 

 ber till the beginning of February, cold and bleak north-east 

 winds prevail ; and between this period and the commence- 

 ment of the south-west monsoon is the hottest season. 

 The atmosphere is damp, and the dews more or less hea^-y 

 throucrhout the year, particularly in January, February, 

 March, and April. The variation of temperature between 

 the day and night is also greatest at this season. The un- 

 healthiest periods are March and April, or a little before the 

 setting in of the south-west monsoon, and about the close 

 of October. Bangalore, the principal military cantonment, 

 about 3000 feet above the sea, is one of the most temperate 

 places in the peninsula. In 1800, the thermometer was ob- 

 served not to rise higher than 82°, nor to fall loweT than 58 . 



Salem and the Bammahl, which form a part of the table- 

 land above the Eastern Ghauts, have a climate and seasons 

 nearly the same as those of Mysore. 



The Bala^rhant, or Ceded Districts.— This country is ele- 

 vated, but not so high as Mysore. The weather and cli- 

 mate on the whole are nearly the same as in Mysore. 



Bcjapore.— The climate and the seasons resemble those 



of the Ceded Districts. , ^ ^ . 



The Northern Circars.— To the south of Connga, strong 

 north-east winds prevail along the shore for the first two 

 months of the year, which, together with the sea-breezes, 

 moderate the heat. But where the winds pass over the salt 



