ON THE MERIDIAN. .293 



fcer of which are from five to fix thoufand feet above the fea The 

 countries of Canara and Malabar lie immediately below thefe ghauts, 

 and the fea is every where in fight. Thefe countries are low, but 

 broken, and much interfperfed with back-water, rivers, and extenfive 

 ravines, {haded with foreft and jungle, and filled with population ; for 

 the upland is barren, and it is in thefe ravines and on the banks of the 

 rivers, where all the inhabitants re fide. In the month of February 

 the low country becomes exceflively hot, and the vapour and exhala- 

 tion fo thick, that it is difficult to fee to the diftance of five miles. I 

 have viewed this curious laboratory from the tops of fome of the high- 

 eft, mountains, where I was fcarcely able to bear the cold. The heat 

 increasing during the months of March and April, a prodigious quan- 

 tity of this moiflure is collected, which remains day and night in a float- 

 ing Mate, fom. times a feending nearly to the height of the mountains, 

 where it is checked or condenfed by the cold, but immediately after 

 descending it is again rarified, and becomes vapour before it can reach 

 the earth; and in this Rate of floating perturbation it remains, till the 

 letting in of the weftern rnonfoon, when the whole is condenfed into 

 rain, fome falling on the. low country, fome among the mountains, and 

 what efcapes is blown acrofs the Myfoor, and immediately. over this val- 

 ley, which I have juft mentioned. This account is foreign, to my pre- 

 fetit purpofe, but I truft I fhall be pardoned for the digreflion, as it is 

 a ftatementof facls relative to a part of the country, which has been a 

 grave both to Europeans and Natives, ever fince the fall of Seringa- 

 palam* 



1 . 



I have alfo added a fhort table of the latitudes and longitudes of 

 places, depending on the meridional arc. It is not my i tention here 

 to animadvert oa the geography of- the Peninfula, as we have had it 



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