196 CLIMATE. 



rially different from those of Aurungabad, or Malwah, to 

 be noticed afterward. 



II. BOMBAY PRESIDKNCY. 



The new town of Bombaj', the capital of the presidency, 

 is built in a low, muddy, unwholesome tract of land ; hence 

 the climate is unhealthy. Poonah, a military station and 

 populous city, about thirty miles eastward of the Ghauts, 

 and about_2500 feet above the sea, is comparatively healthy. 

 The alternations of temperature are great and sudden. 

 The prevailing diseases are remittent and intermittent fevers. 



Guzerat. — Westerly winds prevail the greater part of the 

 year. In May and June thej' are very hot. During De- 

 cember and Januar}% east and north-east winds prevail, and 

 remarkably tliick fogs are generally observed every morning 

 in these months. 



III. BENGAL PRESIDENCY. 



Bengal. — The cold season commences, according to Dr. 

 Jameson, with November, and ends in February. About 

 the middle of October the weather begins perceptibly to 

 change. The days are still oppressively hot ; but the 

 mornings and evenings gradually become cool. The wind, 

 which during the preceding months had blown generally 

 from the south and the east, now begins to come round to 

 the west and north, and to carrj- along with it those heavy 

 masses of clouds which almost constantly float about and 

 obscure the horizon during the whole of the rains. The 

 atmosphere, from being very damp and watery, grows dry 

 and elastic, and the heavens begin to brighten a little. But 

 these appearances are not yet uniform ; the sky still at 

 times becomes gloomj' and overcast, and hea^y showers, 

 accompanied by thunder and lightning, show that the 

 south-east monsoon has not yet finally taken its leave. 



In November the weather becomes delightfully fair and 

 pleasant. A cold sharp wind now blows steadily from the 

 north, and frequently also from the west. The air is diy, 

 clear, pure, and serene ; the vault of heaven is of a beautiful 

 deep azure colour ; and, in general, not a cloud is to be 

 seen. The nights are clear, with hea\y dews. The ther- 

 mometer in the shade ranges throughout the month from 



