314 On the Evidence of Certain Phenomena, &c. 
The second statement objected to by the writer of the notes, that 
‘Cin Peru, at the height of 18,000 feet, the wind has been found to be 
fresh from the south-west,” was given on the authority of Samuel 
Curron, Esq., whose interesting narrative of his ascent to the Peak 
of Misté may be found in the Boston Journal of Philosophy and the 
Arts. vol. 1, see p. 364-5. The authorities for the Sandwich Islands 
and Peak of Teneriffe, which were included in my statement, are 
also at hand; and I may add that the Rev. John C. Brigham, the 
present Secretary of the American Bible Society, in crossmg the 
Andes, from Buenos Ayres to Chili, at the height of 17,000 feet, 
found the wind blowing strong from the west, as he has himself in- 
formed me.* 
There are other facts which seem to indicate the prevalence of a 
southwesterly wind over the higher regions of tropical America, such 
as the fall of ashes, in 1812, at Barbadoes and elsewhere, from the 
volcano of St. Vincent ; and the late fall of volcanic ashes at Jamaica, 
and other places, in January of the present year, which appears to 
be traced to the tremendous outbreakings of a volcano on the conti- 
nent, near the Bay of Honduras.t 
It is unfortunate that those who visit high mountains, so generally 
neglect to inform us of the direction of the wind in those regions. I 
have been led to suspect, however, that in some, at least, of the cases 
mentioned by me, those winds were occasioned by the diurnal in- 
fluences of heat and cold upon the stratum of air lying upon the in- 
clined surface of the mountain. 'This was first suggested by the 
statement of Mr. Brigham, who was informed by the natives that 
this wind blew only in the day time, and it seems not unlikely that 
most elevated peaks are subject to a similar influence. We have, 
however, far better evidence afforded us of the course of the high- 
er strata, in the movements of the clouds at different altitudes, 
which should have been recorded more generally than has yet been 
done. 
The fact appears, however, to be well established, that the great 
trade wind of the tropical latitudes does not prevail at any great al- 
titude, nor does it usually cross any elevated region of country, to 
say nothing of its being arrested or deflected by its own gravitation 
* See Missionary Herald for 1826, Vol. xxii, p. 153-4, where the direction of 
the wind is not mentioned. 
+ The voleano of Consiguina on the shore of the Pacific ocean, distant eight 
hundred miles S. 62° W. from Kingston, Jamaica.— Author. 
BT FY McGee hen ea te aM 
