go AVOYAGETO Book IL 



whole time. But we were no fooner in fight of Punta 

 de Nave, than it became calm, and a breeze from the 

 land fprung up, which hindered us from getting that 

 day into the harbour. It alfo continued contrary on 

 the 30th ; but by the help of our oars, and being 

 towed, we got at iail to the anchoring place, where, 

 we went on fhore, with our baggage and inftruments 

 necelTary for beginning our obfervations. But this 

 being the moll proper place for mentioning the winds 

 which prevail in this paflage, along the coaft, and 

 that of Carthagena, we fhall beftow fome paragraphs 

 on them. 



There are two forts of gjeneral winds on thefe 

 coaits, the one called brifas, which blow from the N. 

 E. and the other called vendabales, which come from 

 the W. and W. S. W. The former fet in about the 

 middle of November, but are not fettled till the be- 

 ginning or middle of December, which is here the 

 I'ummer, and continue blowing frefh and invariable 

 till the middle of May ; they then ceafe, and are 

 fucceeded by the vendabaies, but v/ith this difference, 

 that thefe do not extend farther than 12 or t2| de- 

 grees of latitude beyond which the brifas conflantly 

 reign, though with different degrees of ilrength, and 

 veer fometimes to the eaft, and at other times to the 

 north. 



The feafon of the vendabaies is attended with vio- 

 lent ftorms of wind and rain ; but they are foon over, 

 and fucceeded by a calm equally tranfitory ; for the 

 wind gradually frefliens, efpecially near the land, 

 where thefe ph^enomena are more frequent. The fame 

 happens at the end of Odlober and beginning of No- 

 vember, the general winds not being fettled. 



In the feafon of the brifas, the currents as far as 12® 

 or 12° QO of latitude fet to the weftward, but with lefs 

 velocity than ufual at the changes of the moon, and 

 greater at the full. But beyond that latitude, they 

 ufually fet N, W. Though this mull not be under- 



ilood 



