Chap.XXIL Malabar and Coromandel. 
649 
This Trad of Land is fubjeft to moft 
furious Winds in O[ioher^ November and 
December \ and in the Winter Seafons to 
fudden and heavy Rains. It is very fan - 
The CIU Sea-fhore, and has nothing 
mate of' but Salt-water, which produces Scabs 
TuKco" and other cutaneous Diftempers, as I can 
ryn. teftify by my own Experience. During 
the Months of January^ February and 
March^ the Nights are extremely cold, 
by reafon of the thick Fogs which fall 
conltandy at that time, the Days being 
at the fame time fo excelTive hot, that 
there is no touching of the Ground with- 
out their Shoos, called Seripm by the In- 
habitants. 
And upon this occafion Ican'tpafs by 
without making this Obfervation, that 
aotwithftanding the nearnefs of Tuteco- 
tyn and Comoryn^ they at the fame time 
have very different Seafons : For in j4pril^ 
Different May^ June^ J^^Jt -^^g^ft arid September, 
Seafons on thofe inhabiting on the Somb-fide of the 
'''^dslulh f3»<iCape, enjoy all the Biefllngsof the 
fide ofthe' Summer Seafon, whilft thofe living on 
MomPains the North-fide are at the fame time fubjed 
to all the inconveniences of the Winter*. 
This fide being then conftantly peftred 
with tempeftuous Winds, whilft on the 
other fide the Air is fetene and calm ^ 
the difference of which muft needs be 
look'd for among the. Mountains, the re- 
ceptacles of Winds, Rains and Snow, 
the fame being obferved in other Parts 
of the Indies^ as well as in j4frica. For 
if Africa were not mountainou<;, it would 
be altogether barren and umnhabitable,no 
more than the Countries under the Torrid 
Zone^ which if they were deftitute of 
Mountains, would alfo want Rivers (the 
fourccs of them being all in the Moun- 
tains) nor hard Rains. Thus it is ob- 
fervable,that about Columbo^Gak, and Ma- 
ture, abundance of Rains fall at different 
times, becaufe that part of the Ifle of 
* ' Ceylon is mountainous ^ whereas near 
Mmaar, Jafnapatnam and the other Pla- 
ces, where there is a flat Country, it 
rains only in OBoher^ November, and a lit- 
tle in December, all the reft of the Year 
being without the leaft Rains, the defed 
whereof is however fupplied in fome mca- 
fure by the Fogs or Dew \ the South 
Winds, which blow then from the Gape 
of Comoryn, prevent the Rains on that 
jfide. The Inhabitants of Peru are very 
fenfible of this difference s for whilft the 
Inhabitants of the Mountains are often 
rejoiced with fudden Showers of Rain, 
thofe of the flat Country, and efpecially 
hear the Seafide, never fed any Rain, but 
only a thick fog or Dew. 
Vol. Ill, 
Whence it: is evident, that according 
as the Mountains fend forth the Winds 
and Rains on one fide or the other, they 
produce the difference of Seafons in thefe 
Parts ', this is very perfpicuous on the jj,^ ^^^^j,. 
Cape of South Point of u^frica, where tains oc- 
fuch violent gufhes of Wind are fome- tafionths 
times fent forth out of the Concavities of '^^ff^'^ence 
the Mountains, that they are able to q. "J ^^'^P"^" 
vertuniall that meets in their way. I 
remember that travelling once that way, 
I had enough to do to keep ray felf and 
my Horfe upright i and at another time 
a Coach belonging to the Dutch Company 
there, was overturn'd by fuch a gufh of 
Wind. They take it tor an infallible 
Sign of an approaching Tempeft on the 
Cape of Good Hope ^ when they fee thick 
Clouds appear on the top of TablemaiH' 
tainand. The fame is obferved in moft o- 
ther Mountains under the Torrid Zone % 
for the Inhabitants near the EquinoStiai 
Line have their due rainy Seafons twice 
a Year, viz,, in Spring and Autumn, oc- 
cafioned by the gathering of the Clouds in 
the Mountainsjthe Pinacles of which reach" 
ing very high^ ftop the courfe of the Air 
(which in thofe Parts moves conftantly 
from Eaft to Weft) which thereby be- 
ing condenfed into Clouds, thefe pro- 
duce of neceflity either fudden Windsor 
Rains on one fide, and bleHtes the other 
fide at the fame time with a ferene Air 
and happy Climate | the tops of thefe 
Mountains being in thefe Parts like a 
Partition Wall to Summer and Winter. 
For the further Elucidation whereof, I 
will refer my felf to the moft ingenious 
Lord Bacon, and des Carte$. 
From Tutecoryn towards the Ifle oi ifl^^f 
Rammanakoyel, are to be feen divers Ramiaa- 
Churches of the Paruas, as at Baipaar, nakoyel 
Manapaar, &c. where Xaverim planted 
the Chriftian Doftrine. The Ifle of Ram^ 
manakoyel abounds in Cattel, having got 
its Name from Bramma or Ramma, and 
the Malabar Word Koyel, i. e. The Tem- 
ple of Ramma ^ for near the Sea-fide is 
to be feen the Pagode of the Teuver, or 
Lord of the Ifle, which they fay con- 
tains an incredible Treafure. The Foun- 
dation is ftrengthencd and fupported 
with Stones of a vaft bignefs towards 
the Sea-fide, to break the Force of the 
raging Waves, when the South Winds 
blow. The Ifle is however but indiffe- 
rently fertile, being in fome Parts very 
fandy, which is very troublefome to 
the Eyes, when the Winds blow very % 
hard. The Lord of the Ille has built a 
ftrong Caftle oppofite to the Coaft of 
Coromandel, and the Country under the 
PPPP Jurif- 
