234 ^ Voyage to 



ther du Tertre's Hiftory of the Caribbeelfknds ; if the three 

 Reafons he aflignsfor the Temperature of that Zone, could 

 be apply'd to the Country Iamfpeaking of j but there are 

 two of them which do not fuit it 5 for the Regular or Trade 

 Winds do not prevail throughout all the Zone, and the In- 

 lands of South America are not cool'd by the Neighbourhood 

 of the Sea. 



There is therefore no general Reafon, but what is groun- 

 ded on the Equality ofTime, the Prefence and the Abfence 

 of the Sun 3 and the Obliquity of his Rays for fome Hours, 

 at hisRifing and Setting 5 but tho' it may prove much, it 

 will not hold for Lima, if we compare the little Heat there 

 is there, with that which is felt at Bahia de todos os Santos , 

 which is almoft under the fame Parallel, and on the Sea 

 Shore. It muft therefore be added, that the Neighbourhood 

 of the Mountains which crofs Peru, contributes much to- 

 wards tempering of the Air that is there breath'd. 



But it is farther urged, why thofe Mountains are as cold 

 as thefe in our Climates. To that I anfwer, that befides 

 the general Reafons which may be a(Tign'd, the Situation of 

 the Mountains call cl La Cordillera, or the Andes, is another 

 Caufe ; for they generally run North and South, whence 

 it follows : 



SeePLteXX. *• T ^ at ^ ^ icre are R° c ^s R, (landing perpendicular 

 like a Wall, it is evident that their Faces expofed to the 

 Eaft, or Weft, would not receive the Sun for above fix 

 Hours, even tho' they were in the Middle of a Plain j and - 

 if any Mountain happens to ftand before them, they will 

 receive much lefs, that is, lefsthan half the Rays the Plain 

 receives, and about only the fourth Part of the natural 

 Day. 



2. But to make a Suppofition on which to ground a ge- 

 neral Argument, we will allow the Inclination, or Bent of 

 our Mountains'an Angle of 45 Degrees, which may be 

 look'd upon as an exaft Mean between thole which are 

 fteeper and thofe that have an eafier Afcent. It will then 

 appear, that thofe which are not blinded by ether Moun- 



• tains J 



