16 



CHILI. 



About sunset these very troublesome winds gra- 

 dually died away, and were succeeded by a calm, 

 which lasted during the night. From sunrise of 

 these days, till the hour when the gale commen- 

 ced, there never was a breath of wind ; or if the 

 surface of the bay was occasionally ruffled, it was 

 only here and there by those little transient puffs, 

 which seamen distinguish by the name of cats- 

 paws. 



On the other hand, when the morning broke 

 with clouds, and the atmosphere was filled with 

 haze, a moderate breeze generally followed during 

 the day, sometimes from one quarter, sometimes 

 from another ; and on such occasions we were al- 

 ways spared the annoyance of the southerly gales. 



These varieties take place only in summer. 

 During the winter months, that is, when the sun 

 is to the northward of the Equator, the weather 

 is very unsettled. Hard northerly gales blow for 

 days together, accompanied by heavy rains, and 

 a high swell, which, rolling in from the ocean, 

 renders the anchorage unsafe for shipping ; and, 

 by raising a vast surf on the beach, cuts off all 

 communication between the shore and the vessels 



