1797-] 
Climate of Indias 
297 
mitigate the climate, by blowing over a periments were made during ‘two 
cultivated country, and bring with them 
a conftant fucceffion of hazy or cloudy 
weather. Louder 4 
It is in the northern cirears, where 
the wefterly winds, in their progrefs, are 
expofed to the influence of more exten- 
five and parched lands, that the fevereit 
heats prevail. At Ellore, the _thermo- 
meter, in the fhade, has rifen to the afto- 
nifhing height of 120° : when this, oc- 
curs, it is always attended by a confider- 
able mortality, imputable rather to the 
peculiar malignity of the winds, than to 
the extreme of heat: for, in the Car- 
natic, during the hot months, every. per- 
fon expofes himfelf at noon to a much 
greater degree of heat, as the thermo- 
meter, in the fun, rifes to 136°, and fome- 
times higher, yet this is not only com- 
patible with life, but with the common 
functions of fociety. 
In ‘India, the circumftances of the 
furrounding country feem to have. a 
ftronger influence on the ftate of the 
circumambient atmofphere, than is ob- 
ferved to take place in cold and tem- 
perate climates ; for we often find clear 
and fogey fkies, dry and rainy weather, 
and afalubrious and malignant air, only 
feparated by the diftance of a very few 
Wes. 
The abundance or fcantinefs of rains, 
produces cooler or hotter feafons here ; 
and we feel a rife of 3° very fenfibly in 
a high temperature, as the {malleft in- 
ereaie beyond what we can eafily bear, 
produces a moft difagreeable effect. 
It is extremely difficult to form a cor- 
rect eitimate of the medium heat of the 
Coromandel! coaft, as this fubjeét muft 
be examined abftraétedly from the agen- 
cy of hot winds, accidental ftorms, heavy 
dews, the monfoon rains, and the eftects 
of refleétion from a parched furface. To 
mark the loweft degree to which the 
mercury finks, or the higheft to which 
it rifes, is not the objeét here in queftion ; 
but to afcertain the central point of tem- 
perature, which, after long coniider- 
ation and experience, may-be reckoned 
ENB. alone 
Defircus to bring the matter to the 
teft of experience, the author determined 
to afcertain the temperature of deep- 
feated {prings, as has been done in Eu- 
rope. For this purpofe, he chofe a well 
at Warriore, 27 feet deep, and well 
fhaded by trees from the rays of the fun. 
On immerfing the thermometer in the 
water of this well, the mercury fettled 
at aquarter of a degree below 86. Ex- 
‘months, at morning, noon, and evening, 
and the refult was invariably the fame; 
thus, although perhaps of no great. uti- 
lity, it is certainly a matter of curious 
{peculation to know, that at the diftance 
of 27 feet below the furface of the earth, 
there prevails a temperature that never 
Varies.) 173 
From the refult of the above experi- 
ments and obfervations, compared with 
thofe. that have been made at home, it 
appears, that the medium heat. of this 
part of India rifes 49 degrees above 
the medium temperature of the Britith 
ilands. 
The above obfervations appearing cu~ 
rious to Doétor Ander{on, he tranfmitted 
a copy of them to.Mr.Chamier, a gentle- 
man well known in India to have made 
a variety of experiments, and to have 
kept diaries of the weather for many 
ears. 
I fhall here tran{mit you his note, and 
alfo the anfwer of his correfpondent : 
To Joun CHAMIER, Esq. 
You will oblige me by looking over 
the enclofed meteorological memoir, and 
making fuch remarks as your knowledge 
of the fubject fuggefts. Iam, fir, &c. 
Fort St. George, James ANDERSON. 
Oct. 18,1795- 
To James ANDERSON, Esa. P.G. 
I have read, with much attention, the 
obfervations you have fent me, regarding 
the climate of the coaft; andcan truly fay, 
that they correfpond entirely with thofe 
I have made during my refidence in In- 
dia. ‘The medium heat appears to be 
juftly placed at 86°. although, I believe, 
it might be fixed, with propriety, two 
degrees lower at fome places north of the 
Kiftna, fuch as Samalaive, Waltaire, and 
Ganjam. aie! 
Although I did not keep a regular 
diary, I conftantly, during three years 
(1792, 1793, and 1794) obferved the 
ftate of the thermometer at Waltaire, 
which, on comparifon with. the diary 
kept at Madras, was always two or three 
degrees lower; in December, 1! have 
feen it at 609. and in June, at 95°. but 
never higher, and then only for three or 
four hours. 
At Ganjam, I have feen the thermo- 
meter expofed to a northern afpedt, ftand 
at 55°, this was in the latter end of De- 
cecember, 1792 3 and in January, 1793, 
I faw the thermometer, in a room at Ba- 
lafore, fo low as 50°. it rofe in the mid 
dle of the fame day, to 65°. 
€ cz At 



