THE PACIFIC OCEAN, 
3 i 
« Weft variation, or any thing above that, you may ven- 1776. 
6C ture to fail by the Cape de Verde Iflands night or day, , Auguft ' , 
“ being well allured, with that variation, that you are to 
“ the Eaftward of them.” Such an aftertion might prove 
of dangerous confequence, were there any that would im¬ 
plicitly truft to it. We alfo tried the current, and found 
one fetting South Weft by Weft, fomething more than half 
a mile an hour. We had reafon to expert this, from the 
differences between the longitude given by the watch and 
dead reckoning, which, fince our leaving Teneriffe, amount¬ 
ed to one degree. 
While we were amongft thefe iflands, we had light 
breezes of wind, varying from the South Eaft to Eaft, and 
fome calms. This fhews that the Cape de Verde Iflands are 
either extenfive enough to break the current of the trade 
wind, or that they are fituated juft beyond its verge, in that 
fpace where the variable winds, found on getting near the 
line, begin. The firft fuppofition, however, is the moft 
probable, as Dampier * found the wind wefterly here in the 
month of February; at which time the trade wind is fup- 
pofed to extend fartheft toward the equinoctial. The wea¬ 
ther was hot and fultry, with fome rain; and, for the moft 
part, a dull whitenefs prevailed in the fky, that feems a 
medium between fog and clouds. In general, the tropical 
regions feldom enjoy that clear atmofphere obfervable 
where variable winds blow; nor does the fun fhine with 
fuch brightnefs. This circumftance, however, feems an 
advantage; for otherwife, perhaps, the rays of the fun, 
being uninterrupted, would render the heat quite unfup- 
portable. The nights are, neverthelefs, often clear and 
ferene. 
* Dampier’s Voyages, Vol. iii. p. io» 
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