PACIFIC AND BEERING’S STR/UT. 
397 
health of the Spanish residents, and by the benefit that our seamen 
derived from it during their short stay, it would certainly appear not 
to be surpassed. The summer and early part of the autumn are the 
least healthy parts of the year, in consequence of continued fogs, which 
occur at these periods. 
It is, in all probability, in consequence of these fogs during the 
warmest part of the year that the coast of California has the reputation 
of being much colder than that of Chili in corresponding parallels of 
latitude. In the month of December the mean temperature of S4n 
Francisco was 53° 2', the maximum 66°, and the minimum 46°. We 
nevertheless saw hoar frost upon the grass in the mornings, and in the 
following year observed snow lie several hours upon the ground. As 
the minimum of temperature was so many degrees above the freezing 
point, the former was in all probability occasioned by the radiation, 
which is very great in that country. 
The winter of 1826 was said to be a very favourable season ; we 
could not judge from our own experience, therefore, of what weather 
was usual on the coast at that period of the year. But there were very 
few days during our visit in which a vessel might not have approached 
the coast with safety. The strongest and most prevalent winds were 
from the north-west ; but these winds, though they blew directly upon 
the coast, were generally attended by clear weather, which would have 
enabled a vessel to find a port, had it been necessary. They were 
CHAP. 
XIV. 
strongest about the full and change of the moon. 
From the prevalence of the westerly swell off the harbour, and 
from the wind moderating as w^e approached the coast in both years, I 
am inclined to think that these winds do not usually blow home upon 
the shore. 
There was a curious anomaly observed in the movements of the 
barometer and sympeisometer during our stay at S4n Francisco : the 
former rose with the w'lnds which brought bad weather, and fell with 
those which restored serenity to the sky. The maximum height v^as 
.30’46, the minimum 29'98, and the mean 30"209. 
The hygrometer on the whole indicated a dry atmosphere, and 
ranged from 0° to 20° of dryness on the thermometric scale, the mean 
