ESSAY TOWARDS AN ACCOUNT OF SULU. 
513 
sonant to the true origin of the tropical rains; which are caused by 
the wind blowing constantly over a large surface of fluid, and 
bearing with it clouds of exhalation, which dissipate in heavy 
rains. 
In all places within the tropics, the land seems to have an 
influence in directing the winds, but not with that uniformity which 
systematics pretend; however, in general, there is a breeze from 
the land in the night, and from the sea in the day; the night 
breeze is commonly a cold penetrating elastic air, and that from 
the sea a cool humid one. The sea is little different any where, 
but the land communicates, by its exhalations, its nature to the 
breeze: Mangidara , for example, is a very cold country, dis¬ 
agreeable in the highest degree to the constitution of the Sulus; 
this frigidity is ascribed to the gold mines, which are in this coun¬ 
try equally abundant and pure: The natives, indeed, to the same 
cause refer all remarkable coldness in rivers or fountains, with how 
much justice I leave to be determined by the naturalist. 
Thunder and lightning are common here, as in other countries, 
but not remarkably frequent or excessive; indeed I have not heard 
of any accident from them. 
In most places of the East Indies , they have storms in a certain 
degree at the change of the monsoons, and, it frequently happens, 
these are very violent. Although the intermediate seasons are 
generally exempt from tempests, they sometimes, though very rarely, 
happen at other times than the change of the monsoon. The 
China seas , and other places adjacent to the invariable trade-winds, 
are liable to hurricanes, or tyfoons, which arise from the struggle 
between these trade-winds and the monsoon, chiefly at the springs. 
At Sulu, there are no storms at the shifting of the winds, and 
very seldom at any other time. The end of the monsoon is atten¬ 
ded with a fresh westerly wind, for some days, which they foretell 
by the situation of a constellation, called by them, from a supposed 
resemblance, the coco tree : This generally occasions a storm 
amongst the northern Pkilipinas, which the Spaniards term Bag - 
io, and some years ago it was felt at Sulu, though not violently, 
as at Basilan, where it was very severe: this, and one more, are 
the only storms the oldest persons recollect at Sulu, the other 
happened about the termination of the N. E. winds, and was exces¬ 
sively violent: many days it rained without intermission, and not one 
coco-nut-tree was left standing on the whole island. The hills were 
swept clear of their woods : one island overwhelmed entirely, and 
much devastation made in many places. It seems to have been 
attended with an earthquake, as Temontangis is reported to have 
trembled. 
Although Sulu itself be exempt from storms, in common, it is 
not to be supposed all parts of the empire are : Those places, open 
to the sea., have little difference, in this respect, from others in 
parallel situations : Sulu and the adjacent islands, situated be- 
