288 THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA. 



its powerful influence to operate in tlie southern hemisphere, a 

 change is at once perceived in the constant fine weather of the east 

 monsoon of the Java Sea. As soon as it is at its height upon the 

 Java Sea (6° south), then the true turning of the monsoon begins, 

 and is accompHshed much more rapidly than the spring turning. 

 The calms then are not so continuous. The combat in the upper 

 atmosphere appears to be less violent ; the southeast trade, which 

 has blown as the east monsoon, does not seem to have sufficient 

 strength to resist the aggressors, who, with wild storms from the 

 northwest and west, make theu' superiority known. Upon and 

 in the neighborhood of the land, thunder-storms occur, but at sea 

 they are less fr-equent. 



831. "The atmosphere, alternately clear and cloudy, moves more 

 definitely over from the northwest, so that it appears as if no com- 

 bat was there waged, and the southeast gives place without a 

 contest. 



832. " The land-breezes become less frequent, and the phenom- 

 ena by day and by night become, in a certain sense, more accord- 

 ant with each other. Storms of wind and rain beneath a clouded 

 sky alternate with severe gales and steady winds. In the last of 

 November the west monsoon is permanent. 



833. " Such are the shiftings. But what have they to do with 

 the general system of the circulation of the atmosphere? When- 

 ever we read attentively the beautiful meditations of the founder 

 of the Meteorology of the Sea, and foUow him in the development 

 of his hypothesis, which lays open to view the wheels whereby the 

 atmosphere performs its varied and comprehensive task with order 

 and regularity, then it will not be necessary to furnish proof that 

 these turnings are nothing else than the passing of a belt of calms 

 which separates the monsoons from each other, and which, as we 

 know, goes annually with the sun from the south to the north, 

 and back over the torrid zone to and fro. 



834. " So also the calms, which precede the land and sea winds, 

 are turned back. If, at the coming of the land-wind in the hills, 

 we go with it to the coast — to the sea, we shall perceive that it 

 shoves away the calms which preceded it from the hiUs to the 

 coast, and so far upon the sea as the land-wind extends. Here, 



