168 



humboldt's cuba. 



S.S.W. At the time 1 visited the island of Cuba, nc 

 hurricane had occurred since the month of August, 

 1774, for the gale of the 2d November, 1796, was 

 too light to be so called. 



The season when these violent and terrible move- 

 ments of the atmosphere occur in Cuba, during 

 which a furious wind prevails, varying to every 

 point of the compass, and frequently accompanied 

 by lightning and hail, is during the last of August, 

 the month of September, and particularly that of 

 October. In St. Domingo and the Caribbean Isles, 

 those most feared by seamen occur during July, 

 August, September, and the first fifteen days of 

 October. Hurricanes are most frequent there in the 

 month of August, so that this phenomenon manifests 

 itself later as we proceed toward the west. 



Violent southeast winds also prevail at Havana, 

 during the month of March. No one in the Antilles 

 acknowledges that the hurricanes have their regular 

 periods. Seventeen occurred from 1770 to 1795, 

 while from 1788 to 1804, none were experienced in 

 Martinique. In the year 1642, three occurred. 



It is w r orthy of notice that at the two extremities 

 of the long cordillera of the Antilles (the S.E: and 

 N.W.), hurricanes are least frequent. The islands 

 of Tobago and Trinidad, happily, never experience 

 them, and in Cuba, these violent ruptures of the 



