[ H7 ] 
the refle(5lion and refradlion of the fun’s beams, 
which will increafe their power. And it is alfo ne- 
cedary, that the evaporation (hould be much greater 
from vegetable and animal fluids, than from fluids 
in a quiefcent flate, to carry on a circulation for the 
great work of nutrition : but of this when I come 
to fpeak of vegetation and animal life. Now, the 
afcent of thefe vapours muft beget a circulation of 
the air inward from the fea ; in the fame manner as 
the afcent of vapours from any fire brings in the air 
below to that fire. 
As to water-fpouts, I have found them oddly de- 
fcribed by the learned, as being great columns of wa- 
ter fucked up from the fea by the clouds. But I 
never faw any fuch j nor could I find, upon inquiry, 
from many honeft men, who have failed almofi: all 
our known feas, that they ever met any fuch ; and 
therefore I do not believe that there are any fuch. 
There is indeed an appearance fomething like their 
defcription, which may have given rife to their con- 
jedtures ; but this is no more than a very heavy 
fliower from a very denfe cloud, which is drawn in- 
to a conical form, and a very narrow compafs at 
bottom, before it arrives at the fea j which it dafliea 
• with great violence in its fall. It may be worth the 
while to inquire how the fhower comes into this 
conic form j which I think is caufed by the general 
attradlion. For while the vapours floated in the air, 
being of like fpecific gravity, they were equally 
attracted by the air as by one another j but when 
their fpecific gravity was greatly increafed by their 
being formed into larger drops, and letting go great 
part of that eled;rical fluid, which buoy’d them up, 
U 2 and 
