106 



A VOYAGE TO 



miliar to navigators. On casting the eye upon the 

 map it will be seen that Cape St. Roque, the most 

 eastern point of South America^ projects into the At- 

 lantic as far east as thirty-three or thirty-four degrees 

 west longitude, and thus forms in fact the entrance of 

 a vast gulf, of which the gulf of Mexico is properly 

 nothing more than the bottom, or recess. A powerful 

 north-west current constantly sets into this recess, 

 with which, as well as with the south-east trade winds, 

 vessels must contend in attempting to double the cape 

 too near the American continent. Vessels happening 

 to be driven too far to the westward, must try to re- 

 gain the point where they lost the variable winds, so 

 as to enable them to make their easting. Dreadful 

 shipwrecks have been known in consequence of cross- 

 ing the line too far to the west, and being thus driven 

 on the coast. Here is a great drawback on the 

 intercourse between the United States and the West 

 Indies, with those parts of South America which lie 

 to the windward, especially beyond Cape St. Roque. 

 Navigators are not agreed, however, as to the exact 

 point at which the equator should be crossed; for a too 

 near approach to the African coast is equally to be 

 avoided. Instead of the trade winds which constantly 

 refresh the shores of the American continent, the op- 

 posite coast of Africa, is the region of calms more 

 dreadful than tempests or hurricanes. From ten 

 degrees north to the line, and between thirteen 

 and twenty-three degrees west longitude, there is a 

 region of endless calm, but not such as we fancy to 

 ourselves from the meaning of the word; it is a suc- 

 cession of thunder storms, heavy rains and whirl- 

 winds, with dreadful intermission of close and suffo- 



