70 A YGYAGE TO Bqok ViL 



pn truth for if the force or agitation of the foutli 

 winds be th^ caufe which hinders the vappurs fronpi 

 rifmg to the height neceffary for forming rain, this 

 caule generally ceafing in the fummer, the rain might 

 be expeded to defcend j whereas quite the reverfe 

 happens, the Garuas being then much lefs common. 

 6. Particular times have been known when the nature 

 of the country departing as it were froqi its ufua,! 

 courfe, formal fhowers have fallen, as we have already 

 ineptioned fchap. i.) in defcribjng the towns of Cho- 

 <:ope, Truxiilo, Tumbez, and other places ; but with 

 this fmgularity, that the winds continued at fouth, and 

 blew much llronger during the time of the rain, than 

 is ufpal either in winter or fummer. 



These fix preliminary principles are fo cornmon 

 to this clzm.ate, that they may be applied to all the 

 places mentioned in this chapter ; and are t}ie only 

 guides that muft be followed in determining the true 

 ?:aufe why it does not rain in Peru as in Europe, or, 

 more properly, as is common in the torrid zope. 



It will readily be granted, that the wind blpws 

 more ftrongly in fome regions of the atmofphere thai^ 

 in others j experience itfelf having fufficiently proved 

 this to be fad ; as on high mountains, along whofe 

 fummits a ftrong wind is felt, when at the foot, hard- 

 ly any can be perceived , at leaft we found this tq 

 be the cafe in all the mountains of the Cprdilleras,' 

 one of the greateft inconveniences to us being the 

 jlrength of the wind. And indeed this is every where 

 fo common, th^t any pprfop m^y be convinced of it 

 by only afcending a high tower, when he will foon 

 perceive the di{Ference between the ftrength of the 

 >vind at the top and at the bottorn, I am not igno- 

 rant that fpme have endeavoured to prove, that oq 

 ihe land this proceeds from the inequahties of its 

 furface, which hinder the wi^ds from blowing in the 

 plains or low countries with that force which is felt 

 pn eminences ^ but the fame thing happening at fea^ 



