52 Dr. dobson’s Account of the Harmattan, 
“ room window, but not to the fun, flood at noon at 84* ; at 
“ 88° in the evaporating veffel ; funk to 8o° as the water eva- 
“ porated from its furface ; rofe in the fun in fix miuutes t<j 
“ 104°; and, on putting it into the water-jar in "my room, 
“ funk to 76°. ” 
It appears from the preceding experiments made by Mr. 
Norris, that, if the evaporation of the whole year be fuppoled 
to go on in the fame proportion with what occurred during a 
fliort 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 wouidbc 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 annualevaporation 
at Whydah on the Gold Coaft 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 Aker ram ant ah, the name of that feafon 
in which this wind blows. Aherramantah is compounded of 
Aherraman , which in the Fantee language fignifies to blow, 
and tab, tallow or greafe, with which the natives rub their 
Ikins to prevent their growing dry and rough. 
* Philofophical Tranfa&ions, vol. LX VII, p, 252. 
2 
The 
