192 



Sketches of the Meteorology, fyc. 



[JULT 



deal of rainy weather atDarwar, yet there are seldom such deluges of 

 rain as frequently occur on the coasts; and the total annual quantity of 

 rain is certainly less than that which falls either on the western coast 

 or on the Gauts. 



It is a curious circumstance, that, while a cool breeze blows during 

 the nights of the hot months in the southern Mahratta country, there 

 is often at the same time a most perfect calm on the western coast: 

 proving that this is not a sea-breeze, as supposed by many. It is pro- 

 bably owing to the peculiar surface of the country, and produced in 

 the following manner. The gauts and western parts of the country 

 being covered with wood, and more plentifully supplied with moisture 

 than the interior, must consequently be always cooler; but more 

 especially at night, for the arid plains retain the heat of the day longer 

 than the moist woods. The hot air of the interior, therefore, will 

 ascend, and be replaced by the cool air from the western jungles, and 

 thus give rise to a refreshing breeze, which will continue all night, and 

 as long as it is not counteracted by the prevalent north-east wind, 

 which, being always more powerful during the heat of the day, then gains 

 the ascendancy. Now, as the western parts of the country are 2,500 

 feet above the western coast, the wind which blows over them does 

 not ascend from the coast below, for it has been already stated that 

 the atmosphere on the coast continues calm : it must therefore be sup- 

 plied from the same altitude ; and we may accordingly conclude, that a 

 mass of air above 2,000 feet in height rests undisturbed on the coast, 

 while that immediately above it, viz. on a level with the summit of the 

 gauts, is in rapid motion towards the interior. 



The following remarkable and interesting appearances, which I ob- 

 served at Goa on the 6th of October last year, show, in a striking man- 

 ner, what a great influence the gauts have on the meteorological pheno- 

 mena of this part of India, and also confirm the above observations re- 

 garding the western breezes of the southern Mahratta country. Large 

 masses of clouds, with lightening and thunder, were observed on the 

 gauts about mid-day. The clouds gradually proceeded westward, but 

 at a very great altitude ; and, in the evening, they completely concealed 

 the blue sky, stretching far to the west over the sea. The air below con- 

 tinued close and oppressive, and thunder was heard, high over our 

 head, among the clouds that had proceeded from the gauts. Thus the 

 air, resting on the low country, continuing undisturbed, while great 

 hygrometric and electric changes occurred in the atmosphere, only on 

 a level with the summit of the gauts. 



Fogs in the morning are very common at Darwar, and often present 

 a very remarkable appearance. They invariably proceed fro m the 

 west, and, about sun-rise, are seen rolling, in dense masses, over the 

 hills. They sometimes appear black, at other times perfectly white, 

 according to the spectator's situation in respect to the light. They 

 are generally not very high, and vary much in their form and 



