ir.] METEOROLOGY. 75 



The atmosphere of Angola is so moist, that even Dr Living- 

 stone's native attendants were seriously affected thereby, lie 

 himself was obliged to crawl along in misery, suffering from 

 vertigo, and arriving at Loanda a living skeleton. He has 

 recorded twenty-seven cases of fever in his book; but, in 

 answer to a question put, said that he has had double or 

 treble that number of attacks; yet believing that his constitu- 

 tion is now as good as ever. 



These much influence the climate. In spring, 



WINDS. . -it- l 



the north wind prevails during the day; the 

 wind rarely blows from the east. A hot electric current sweeps 

 over the Kalahari desert, from north to south, at the end of 

 winter. In connexion with this wind, our traveller found that 

 the Bechuanas knew of the electric spark ages before it was 

 produced by Dr Franklin. The wind seldom blows from north 

 to south ; that from the north is hot, and from the south cold. 

 In Angola the west wind almost invariably brings fever, while 

 that from the east is very healthy; the north wind in Londa 

 has a blighting effect on vegetation; that from the north-east 

 and east brings continuous rain in the south; this is also the 

 effect of that from the north in Londa and Angola. 



It is well known that extensive tracts of 



DROUGHT. . 



country lying between Cape Colony and the 

 Zambesi are visited by this terrible scourge; such as the 

 Bechuana country, and Namaqua land. We have already 

 seen that immense territories farther north are rather an un- 

 pleasant reverse. The Bak wains and Bushmen suffer some- 

 times terribly for want of water. 



Most of the districts watered by the Zam- 

 besi are subject to more or less continuous and 

 drenching rain. There is so much in Londa, that our traveller's 

 tent, instruments, and we may say person, were almost con- 

 stantly wet. The cloudy state of the sky prevented him from 

 taking many observations. The rains are so heavy near 

 Lake Dilolo as to destroy the very foot-paths. There are 



