« . 



I 



84 Dr. IIolyoke's Estimate of the Excess of Heat and Cold, 



cause our coasts lie westward of the ocean. Thus, the winds 

 which prevail most in Europe, tend to mitigate both the 

 heat and the cold, to which its geographical situation ex- 

 poses it; as, on the contrary, the same winds increase both 



the cold of winter and heat of summer, on the American 

 coasts."^ 



But upon the supposition, that westerly winds are most 

 prevalent in the middle latitudes all round the globe, which 

 seems rather a probable conjecture, if w^e consider the facts 

 just mentioned; and further, that the course of the trade 

 winds in the torrid zone is continually from the eastward; 

 it ought to follow, that the eastern coast of Asia, as well 

 as the eastern coast of America, should be colder, than the 



of Europ 



coast of Ame 



rica, under the same parallel.' And that such a difference 

 does really obtain, seems to appear from the account given 

 by the writer of Captain Cook's last voyage, who informs 

 us that vegetation was in great forwardness in the month of 

 April, at Nootka or King George's Sound, on the western 

 side of N. America, in the latitude 49° 36' N. in the year 

 1778 : Whereas the next year, at the bay of Awatska, in 

 Kamtschatka, on the eastern coast of Asia, in lat. 53° 38', 

 tTie snows were not gone, nor was there any appearance of 

 vegetation, till the middle of May. Which, if to be relied on, 



as 



* Stockholm In Sweden lies m lat. 5D- 20' -N. 'and Tobol.ld in Siberia, in 58° 12' ; 

 yet .t ,s found by observatiou that th^uaual cold In the latter, very much exceed, that of 

 the ovmor Now, ToboUkl is 50° of long, more easterly than Stockholm ; of course so 



n^uch further fron. the Atlantick ocean. Doth not this observation confirm the truth 

 ot our hypotbems ? 



\ 



