460 



of the height of the situation (or of the dilatation 

 of the air in the ascending current) and of the 

 conflict between the winds of Catia and Pe- 

 tare. 



According to a small number of observations, 

 made in the course of three years, partly at 

 Caraccas, and partly at Chacao very near the 

 capital, I perceived, that the centigrade ther 

 mometer kept in the cold season, in November 

 and December, generally* between 21° and 

 22° in the day, and at night, between 16° and 

 17°. In the hot season, in July and August, 

 this instrument rises in the day -J* to 25° or 

 26° ; and at night to 22° or 23°. This is the 

 habitual state of the atmosphere ; and the same 

 observation, made with an instrument which I 

 verified, gave for the mean temperature of the 

 year at Caraccas a little more than 21*5° %; 

 which, in the system of cisatlantic climates, 

 is to be met with in the plains in the latitude of 

 36° or 37°. It is almost unnecessary to observe, 

 that this comparison is founded only on the 



* According to the scale of Reaumur, in the day, from 

 16 8° to 18° ; at night, from 12 8° to 13 6°. 



f In the day from 20° to 20 8; at night, from 17*6° to 

 18*4° of the Therm, of Reaum. 



% 17'2° Reaum. I had stopped in my Prolegomena, p. 

 5)8, at 16*8° R. For the particular observations, see note 

 E at the end of this volume. 



