Ch.III. south AMERICA. 215 



For tho' thefe winds are here called nortes, they are 

 generally between the N. and N. W. and during their 

 leafon, veering in fome fqualls to the N. and in others 

 to the N. W. Sudden calms alfo often intervene ; but 

 if thefe happen before the wind have paffed the travefia, 

 it returns in about half, or at lead an hour with re- 

 doubled fury. Thefe dangerous variations are how- 

 ever indicated by the thicknefs of the atmofphere, 

 and the denfe clouds in the horizon. The duration 

 of thefe ftorms is far from being fixed or regular : 

 tho' I well know fome pilots here will have it, that 

 the N. wind blows twenty-four hours, and then paffes 

 to the travefia ; that it continues there with equal 

 violence three or four hours, accompanied with iliow- 

 ers, which abate its firft violence ; and that it then 

 veers round till it comes to the S. W. when fair v/ea- 

 ther fucceeds. I own indeed that I have in feveral 

 voyages found this to be true \ but at other times I 

 experienced, that the fucceffive changes of the wind 

 are very different. The ftorm at N. I before-men- 

 tioned began March the 29th, at one in the after- 

 noon, and lafted till the 3 ill at ten at night, which 

 made fifty-feven hours ; then the wind fhifted to the 

 travefia, where it continued till the ift of April with- 

 out any abatement, that is, during the fpace of twenty- 

 two hours. From the W. the wind veered round to 

 the W. S. W. and S. W. ftill blowing with its former 

 violence. Hence a fhort calm fucceeded after which, 

 it a fecond time fnifted to the N. where it continued 

 blowing with its former fury fifteen or twxnty hours 

 then came on a iecond travefia ; and foon after its 

 violence abated, and the next night fliifted from S. W. 

 to S.E. Thus the whole continuance of the ilorm was 

 four natural days and nine hours and I have fince met 

 with others of the fame violence and duration, as I 

 fhall mention in their proper place. "What I would 

 infer from my own experience, confirmed by the in- 

 formation of feveral pilots, is, that the duration of 



P 4 thefe 



