360 A VOYAGE TO BoqkIX. 



called by the failors San Tclmo, which lafled fix 

 hours. Some imagine this meteor to be a fign of fair 

 weather ; but this opinior. is as little to be relied on 

 as many others adopted v. iihout :xrfie£cion, and juftly 

 called vulgar errors : it is oiily a natural ph^enornenon, 

 more particularly feen in nitrous and damp, places of 

 the earth, in church-yards and the like, and on the 

 fea it proceeds from the fauie caufe ; and though it 

 moib commonly makes its appearance in ftormy wea- 

 ther, the agiiadon of the waves fend ins; forth a 

 greater quantity of nitrous particles, and being m.ore 

 copiouQy carried up to a gre^iter height, by the force 

 of the winds, the luminous matter fettles at the ex- 

 tremity of the vTudh or yards by a fmall part of it, 

 whihl the remainder has the appearance of a fiame 

 in the air: yet it is not vei-y uncommon to fee this 

 meteor in fair eafy weather : and this was the cafe 

 h:^re5 it being quite calm. and in the Delivrance on 

 the ninth of Augufi:, at half an hour after one in the 

 morning, and in 28^ 4.0' S. lat. we law one of thefe 

 kinds ot lights, and on' the fame part of the mall ; 

 but 'Ours only laded an hour, ehe wind at that time 

 was but faint and this alio had been preceeded by 

 hard violent fliowers attended with feme wind ; and 

 the atmofphere every where covered with a thick.cloud. 

 In both inftances no tempeft happened before or loon 

 after ; confequently they concurred to confute and 

 explode the ialfe notions of failors, who are pofiefied 

 with a belief of certain confequences being prefaged 

 by thefe lights, according to their fituation, the 

 part of the fea and the time ; and may likewife un- 

 deceive thole, Vv'ho too eafily fwimm/i ng with the 

 Ikeam of vulgar opinions, are fond of turning the 

 fortuitous eifeds and produdls of nature into ominous 

 myfteries. 



On the f5th, in the long, of 13° 30' they fa w great 

 numbers of birds, v;hich in their opinion indicated 

 that land v;as not far clf, and accordingly lay to all 



that 



