40 
TRAVELS IN 
" vanlflies into air — to thin air." Every other part of the 
hemifphere fhews a clear blue fky undifturbed by a fingle 
vapor. 
Though it has been ufual to confider the year at the Cape 
as confifting of two periods, called the good and the bad mon- 
foon, yet, as thefe are neither regular in their returns, nor cer- 
tain in their continuance, the divifion into four feafons, as in 
Europe, fliould appear to be much more proper. The fpring, 
reckoned from the beginning of September to that of December, 
is the moft agreeable feafon. The fummer, from December to 
March, is the hotteft. The autumn, from March to June, is 
variable w^eather, generally fine, and the latter part very plea- 
fant. And the winter, from June to September, though in 
general pleafant, is frequently very ftormy, rainy, and cold. 
The two moft powerful winds are the north-weft and fouth- 
eaft. The firft generally commences towards the end of May, 
and blows occafionally till the end of Auguft, and fometimes 
through the month of September. The fouth-eaft predomi- 
nates the reft of the year, and, when the cloud fhews itfelf on 
the mountain, blows in fqualls with great violence. In the 
midft of one of thefe ftorms the appearance of the heavenly 
bodies, as obferved by the Abbe de la Caille, is ftrange and 
terrible : " The ftars look larger, and feem to dance ; the moon 
" has an undulating tremor ; and the planets have a fort of 
" beard like comets." Elfe6ls fuch as thefe are not confined to 
the Gape alone, but are, in many parts of the world, among 
the terrific accompaniments of a ftorm, and are probably 
occafioned by looking at the objeds through a medium 
that 
