VEEA CEUZ— THE NOETHS. 147 



There are various signs by which the coming on of a North may before- 

 seen: such are, the wind steady at South; the moisture of the walls, and 

 of the pavements of the houses and streets ; seeing clearly the Peak of 

 Orizaba, and the mountains of Perote and Villa Eica, with the cloud on 

 those of St. Martin having folds like a white sheet ; the increase of heat 

 and of dew ; and a thick fog, or low scud, flying with velocity to the South- 

 ward. But the most certain of all is the Barometer ; for this instrument, 

 in the time of the Norths at Vera Cruz, does not vary more, between its 

 highest and lowest range, than -80, that is to say, it does not rise higher 

 than 30*6 inches, nor fall lower than 29-8 inches. The descent of the 

 mercury predicts the Norths ; but they do not begin to blow the moment 

 it sinks, which it always does a short time before the North comes on. At 

 these times lightning appears on the horizon, especially from N.W. to N.E. ; 

 the sea sparkles; cobwebs are seen on the rigging, if by day. With such 

 warnings, trust not to the weather, for a North will infallibly come on. 



This wind generally moderates at the setting of the sun; that is, it does 

 not retain the same strength which it had from nine in the morning to 

 three in the afternoon, imless it commences in the evening or at night, for 

 then it may increase. Sometimes it happens that after dark, or a little 

 before midnight, it is found to be the land-wind, from the Northward and 

 "Westward ; in which case, should it get round to the Southward of West, 

 the North will be at an end, and the general breeze will, to a certainty, 

 come on at its regular hour; but, if that does not happen at the rising of 

 the sun, or afterward, and at the turn of the tide, it will return to blow 

 from the North, with the same violence as on the day before, and then it 

 is called a Norte de Marea, or Tide North. 



The Norths, also, sometimes conclude by taking to the Northward and 

 Eastward, which is more certain ; for if the wind in the evening gets to 

 N.B., although the sky remain covered the day following, but by night the 

 land-breeze has been from the Northward and Westward, the regular 

 breeze will surely ensue in the evening, good weather succeeding and con- 

 tinuing for four or six days ; the latter period being the longest that it will 

 last to, in the season of the Norths ; but if the wind retrograde from N.E. 

 to N.N.E. or North, the weather will be still unsettled. 



Examples are not wanting of Norths happening in May, June, July, and 

 August, at which times they are most furious, and are called Nortes del 

 Hvsso Colorado ; the more moderate are called Chocolateros, but these are 

 rather uncommon.* 



* From the late Lieutenant John Evans, E.N. (a gentleman to whom we were in- 

 debted for many valuable communications), we received the following description of a 

 North in the Mexican Sea, which occurred in March, 1828 : — 



"We had observed, during our run over the Catoche Bank, a very extraordinary white 

 hazy-like appearance, very distinct from the common fog, haze, or mist. This was seen 

 principally in the Northern quarter, and attracted much notice ; the air, at the same 

 time, ' breathing gently at South,' and the sympiesometer falling unusually low, gave 

 us strong indications of an approaching North. On the 15th there appeared on the sky 

 only a few small cumuli and dark strati; in the morning the air was very light from the 

 South, and was so warm, or rather hot and oppressive, that, like the sirocco it affected 

 the breathing of some of us. At 10 a.m. it changed to the N.E., with fine weather, the 



