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rendered the past observations scarcely worthy of reduction. It is however 

 certain that the prevalent notion as to the force of the wind in the tropics, is 

 a vastly exaggerated one, and that the daily average of pressure or velocity, 

 is much less than in England. The general laws as to direction are so 

 strongly marked as to be evident to the most casual observer of natural phe- 

 nomena. The North-east monsoon, heralded by heavy rain, sets in about tau; 

 end of October, and blows pretty steadily, but not strongly except during 

 accidental gales, until February. South and South-east winds prevail from 

 then until May, in which month some of the most violent storms on record 

 have occurred. The long but mild four months reign of the South-west 

 monsoon then becomes fairly established. The scorching westerly or land 

 winds, which blow in the forenoon in May, are relieved by a refreshing sea 

 breeze, which, commencing about noon, continues until evening. The gene- 

 ral tendency of the wind when changing, is, to veer round in a direct order, 

 i. e., following the course of the Sun, or E. S. W. N. E. During rough or 

 unsettled weather this order is reversed, being retrograde, or E. N. W. S. E.; 

 and frequent instances might be adduced, when with calm fine weather at 

 Madras, rain and stormy weather within one or two hundred miles distance, 

 has been plainly indicated, by no other mark than a retrograde change in the 

 direction of the wind. 



N. K. POGSON, 



Government Astronomer. 



