52 Dr. dobson’s Account of th$ Harmattan , 
44 room window, but not to the fun, flood at noon at 84° ; at 
44 88° in the evaporating veiTel ; funk to 8o° as the water eva- 
44 porated from its furface ; rofe in the fun in fix minutes to 
44 104° ; and, on putting it into the water-jar in my room, 
funk to 76V’ 
It appears from the preceding experiments made by Mr. 
Norris, that, if the evaporation of the whole year be fuppofed 
to go on in the fame proportion with what occurred during a 
fhort and very moderate return of the Harmattan, the annual 
Harmattan evaporation would be 133 inches ; and if the calcu- 
lation was made in proportion to the evaporation which occurs 
during a longer vifit from the Harmattan, and a more forcible 
breeze, the annual Harmattan evaporation would be much more 
confiderable. If the annual evaporation be in like manner calcu- 
lated, in proportion to the evaporation which took place fubfe- 
quent to and preceding the Harmattan, the annual evaporation 
at Whydah on the Gold Coafl would be 64 inches, and I have 
found the annual evaporation at Liverpool to be 36 inches 
Thefe three therefore are in the following proportion ; Har- 
mattan 133 inches, Whydah 64 inches, and Liverpool 36 
inches. 
As the names of things are often derived from fome remarka- 
ble property in the thing denoted, I defired Mr. norris to in- 
quire into the derivation of the word Harmattan. He found it 
to be a corruption of Aherramantah , the name of that feafbn 
in which this wind blows. Aherramantah is compounded of 
Aherraman , which in the Fantee language fignifies to blow, 
and /££, tallow or greafe, with which the natives rub their 
ikins to prevent their growing dry and rough. 
* Philofophical Tratffa&ions, vol. LXVII. p, 252* 
a The 
