which voyagers lake advantftgft. At night all the slara 

 north of (iie great bear are invisible^ while ihoae in the 

 Bouthero hembphere are doubly bright Europeans do not 

 distinguidh the aew and full moonij nor do they supply in- 

 tercalary ra on tha. The foui aeaaoug and eight tenng are 

 in Batavia all alike, but ttn days after the winter loletice 

 they reckon the new year to begin. Id thia respect they 

 make no variation for hundreds and thouiands of years, 



WATER-SP0UT3 OR ^ 55^^ "^^^ DRAGON ISUALINQ 



On the wide ocean, when storms oecur in the dusk of even- 

 ing, & lioe of black clonda, lilfe a needb, jb Bometimes seen 

 to descend J gradually coming lower and lower, until it 

 reachea the sea ; when the water, thereby thrown into com- 

 motion, forms a vioknt eddy. Those who are at a dit- 

 tance experience no injury ; hut thotild the phenomenon 

 approach, then it is neccisary lo burn fowl*» feathers, and let 

 off crackers to dis|>eree it ; while great care must be taken to 

 cover the water-caik^ and reservoirs on board with cotton 

 or cloths, otherwise the water in them would be drawn up 

 into the clouds. The taate of the sea-water la naturally salt, 

 but when thus drawn up and formed into rain it becomes 

 fresh. This is one of the iosctuiable ways of Providence, 

 whereby human life is preserved. 



H fee THE CmCOLAR ftAlNBOWj AND ^ ^ BLlE 

 LlGHTNlNa. 



At sea, the rainbow appears to thoge at a dialauce aa a 

 semicircle ; but on approaching near, it will be found to be a 

 complete circle, without a break. 



When I first heard the iwople of Batavia say, that near 

 Carimon Java, the lightning was bhw, and not did not play 

 m atreaka, 1 would not believe it ; but on my voyage to Ben- 

 jarraaainj I passed by Carimon Java, and that evening 1 obser- 

 ved rhat the lightning was not red, but of a deep blue coloyr ; 



