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This causing a rarefaction or expansion of the air over the surface 
of the land, it ascends into the higher regions; and a column of 
dense and cool air rushes in from the sea about mid-day, to pre- 
serve the equilibrium, thus producing the sea-breeze. The above 
cause continuing to operate while the sun is above the horizon, we 
of course have the sea-breeze during the remainder of the day: 
but at night, when the earth loses its acquired heat, and even sinks 
in temperature below that of the sea, the air which had ascended 
in a rarefied state during the day, begins to condense in the upper 
regions; and pressing upon that below, a column of air is sent off 
towards the sea; and thus the land-breeze is produced. The sole 
cause then of these semidiurnal breezes, being the capacity which 
the earth has for acquiring a higher temperature than that of the 
sea, the cause becomes evident why they do not take place on a 
mountainous coast, where the hills are covered with trees and ver- 
dure, which retaining the dews that fall in the night, the earth is 
as cool during the day as the sea: the mountains therefore do not 
obstruct the course of these periodical breezes, but prevent their 
existence/’ 
The regularity of the land and sea-breezes on the Malabar- 
coast is sometimes interrupted by tempests: there were two during 
my residence in India, of fatal consequence, each about a month 
before the usual setting in of the south-west monsoon. Water- 
spouts are occasionally seen on this coast, but seldom attended 
with danger: those I observed from a distance, had an awful ap- 
pearance; if, on a near approach, they realize Falconer’s sublime 
description, they must be terrible indeed; 
