156 



humboldt's cuba. 



tween 15° and 17°. 3 (59° and 62° F.) ; at Macao, 

 between 16°.6 and 20° (61°.9 and 68° F.) ; while at 

 Havana they were generally between 21° and 24°. 3 

 (69°.8 and 75°.T) ; yet the latitude of Macao is one 

 degree south of that of Havana, and the latter city 

 and Canton are on the same parallel, with a differ- 

 ence of one mile ? a little more or less. But although 

 the isothermal lines, or lines of equal heat, are 

 convex toward the pole in the system of climates 

 of Eastern Asia, as also in the system of climates of 

 Eastern America, the cold on the same geographical 

 parallel is greater in Asia. 1 The Abb6 Richenet, 

 who used the excellent maximum and minimum 

 thermometer of Six, has observed it to fall even to 

 3°.3 and 5° (38° and 41° F.), in the nine years, from 

 1806 to 1814. 



At Canton, the thermometer sometimes falls to 

 0° C. (32° F.), and from the radiation of caloric, ice 

 is formed on the roofs of the houses. Although 

 this excessive cold never last more than one day, 

 the English merchants residing at Canton light fires 



1 The difference of climate is so great on the eastern and western 

 shores of the old continent, that in Canton, lat. 23°. 8', the mean 

 annual temperature is 22°.9 (63°.2 F.), while at Santa Cruz de 

 Teneriffe, lat. 28°. 28', it is 23°.8 (74°.8 F., according to Buch and 

 Escolar. Canton, situate upon an eastern coast, enjoys a conti- 

 nental climate. Teneriffe is an island near the western coast of 

 Africa. — H. 



