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south-west, we brought up in Capels Sound, a league to the westward of Arthurs Seat.

It blew a hard gale the two succeeding days from the south-west with heavy hail squalls; so that it was not until the morning of the 9th that we passed through the channel before-mentioned with a light easterly wind. The depth of water varies from four fathoms at the eastern end (which is formed by two narrow sand spits,) to seventeen, and even twenty-four fathoms as you approach Point King; from thence towards the entrance to the port, it shoals again to ten, and seven fathoms; the bottom being irregular, the tide sets rapidly through this passage, and across the banks at the eastern extreme. If ever Melbourne become of sufficient importance to have large ships trading to its port, this is the channel that must unavoidably be used, and in my opinion for outward-bound ships from Hobsons Bay, it is far preferable to the western one, now generally used, for with the prevailing wind a ship can lie along this channel, whereas in the other it is a dead beat through, with only a quarter of a mile space in one part, and the whole is over shoal ground.

EOLIAN RESEARCHES.-No. IX.

(Of the seventeenth century. Continued from p. 784, of vol. for 1840.) We find by experience that some winds produce very odd effects in many sorts of animals and plants; and others convey into the air spirits so subtil and penetrating, which dissolve the hardest of metals. That inquisitive Jesuit, in his natural history of the West Indies, gives us an account of the iron grates, which in those parts were so much rusted and consum'd with the winds, that by only pressing them between your fingers they dissolv'd into powder. Which has likewise been observ'd of the air about London (whether from those corrosive salts, or the great quantity of sulphur contain'd in the sea-coale) that it does not only spoyl tapistrys, and beds, tarnish the most polisht silver plate, fowl linnen and paper, and sully all sorts of household-stuffe, with it's fuliginous steams, but has a very sensible operation on the iron or brasse in their chimnies and windows; which it corrupts, and causes to rust much sooner then in the country. I shall not undertake to philosophise concerning the cause of the former phænomenon, unlesse wee were better acquainted with the situations of those places in the West Indies Only wee are sufficiently inform'd, that in some of the American kingdomes, the earth exhales very noxious vapours, that occasion a strange contagion in the air; though impartiall nature has recompenc'd this inconvenience with many blessings which the old world did never enjoy: In the plains of Peru they have a wind which kills men (if wee may give credit to the Spanish writers) without the least sense of pain, and afterwards by it's extreme subtlety and cold preserves them from putrefaction. Since the first discovery of Almagro, great numbers of persons have been found dead in those desarts; some lost their feet and hands, that were rotted by these virulent blasts, which happened to the generall Costilla, and many others of the

christians who travelled in those parts: Insomuch that the Spanyards, who formerly us'd to passe over the plains between Peru and Chile, rather undertake a laborious voyage by the sea-side, then hazard the disasters which they might otherwise expect from these winds. But I insist not upon instances, for which wee have no further evidence of truth, then the credit of the relators: yet wee must suppose that there is quite another face of nature in those remote climates; therefore wee ought not to explode all things as false, that are only different from such observations, to which wee have been accustom'd in these parts of the world.

The winds neare Serra di Lyone, where the neighbouring mountains abound with many putrid and sulphureous exhalations, breath out in such venemous blasts, that they breed pestilentiall feavers, and other diseases in the inhabitants. So very considerable are their influences, not only in other regards, but to the benefit, or prejudice of human life: For a kind temperature of the heavens, serene air, and wholesome winds, which is the atmosphericall dyet, are full as necessary to the health and welfare of mankind, as good meat or drinke.

Those likewise which have their origines from such subterraneall caverns, that exhale noxious fumes, like the killing damps in deep pits or mines, must needs by this means, mingle a great allay, and adulterate the purity of the air, when the virulent particles are carry'd and disperst by the winds: what can wee expect but a mortall and unwholesome vapour from such places, as the Denne of Charon near Naples, where the deadly venom transpires insensibly through the pores of the earth, and suffocates all animals that enter at the mouth of the cave. Empedocles, by stopping up one of these poisonous caverns, and hindring the eruption of the winds from thence, is said to have cur'd an epidemic sickness which they had occasion'd in all the citys thereabout. And in all other recesses under ground, where the pregnant womb of the earth is stor❜d with so many severall sorts of minerals, and salts, if they ascend from thence, they must needs fill the atmosphere with as great diversity of vapours: And therefore those winds, which are generated in the sulphureous soil of Puteoli, smell of brimstone a great distance from thence; and those which come from infected places, propagate the contagion, and bring death along with the infectious air.

Thus wee see winds are not all vested with the same qualities, nor alike friendly, or injurious to human life; but they sometimes are replete with those arsenicall and deleterious corpuscles, that convey into our blood the seeds of diseases; and other while with such agreable juices, that recreate and cherish our spirits, and contribute to longevity and health.

But the wonderfull effects of winds are more obvious to reason, then perceptible by the justest criteriums of sense; since the invisible agents are diffus'd every where; and the air is as the common vehicle of all things, where so many different sorts of saline and minerall spirits are continually floating, and driven to and fro in the atmosphere: So that, I believe much of that naturall magic, by which distant bodys act upon each other (though wee usually ascribe it to occult qualities, or certain sympathies and antipathies in matter) to proceed from no ENLARGED SERIES.—NO. 3.-VOL. FOR 1841.

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other cause then the secret operations of winds: For they are the carriers of the universe, and transport from one place to another odors, diseases, fertilising salts, the seeds of animals and plants, and most other things, of which wee can give no account how they came there; as vegetables, that spring on the tops of houses, or those which are observ'd to grow on the walls of castles, and ancient theatres; nay sometimes whole groves and vast forrests have at first had no other planters then the winds.

But to attempt a full collection of all their properties and effects, must be the work of posterity; which possibly may require many ages e're it be brought to perfection: And to complete the many desiderata of this phænomenon in an universall history of winds (for wee have only the outlines of this vast design in Sir Francis Bacon,) it would be adviseable to make an exact table or ephemeris, for many years together, and so dayly compare the observations of their prognostiques, the quarters whence they blow, their duration and properties; how farre they agree or differ from what has been already delivered in books. Many of this nature are set down by the Lord Verulam, but for the most part collected out of Aristotle and Pliny, though with Jesse improvement then might have been expected from that illustrious person. However, since the learned world has been so long impos'd on by tradition; we ought, in the first place, to be throughly informed concerning all matters of fact, and afterward consider to what hypothesis they may best relate: and because that must be the result of long experience, and observation, I can only commend this province to those curious persons, who have leisure, either to make such new discoveries of their own, or detect the vulgar errors of former times.

It should first be examin'd what influences they have upon human bodies; in relation to their sickness or health and those who are inclin❜d to gowts, catarrhes, infirmities in the sight, distempers of the lungs, epilepsies, deafness, &c. might be able to collect observations of this nature; what inconvenience they are sensible of from any sort of winds.

Those celebrated aphorisms of Hippocrates concerning their medicinal qualities, ought to be considered; how farre they are found experimentally true and consonant to the observations of the moderns: For if we rightly understood the different temperatures of the air and winds, and how to apply this remedy to many distempers, it might possibly prove the most successfull part of physic.

Next, as to the diversities which arise from the quarters whence they blow whether the east and north betray not in these countries continuall symptoms of siccity and cold; and the south and west, of heat and moisture. Likewise, as to their effects upon animals; Since the south has a thousand malignant influences; and, according to our English proverb, the wind at east, is neither good for man nor beast. Then, which of them are most agreable, or inauspicious, to the vegetable life; what observations of this nature can be drawn from agriculture, and gardening? which are those winds that are most favourable to the sowing and ripening of corn, or most pernicious for breeding worms in plants, or for blasting and destroying their fruits.

What directions this doctrine might afford to architects, in choosing

the situations of dwellings: whether the air of many houses might not be meliorated by giving a freer admission to the winds; since it has been observ'd, that severall dwellings here in England, which were environ'd with huge woods, or sometimes had only a clump of trees standing towards such a quarter, have been always obnoxious to sickness, till they happen'd to be cut down,and the places render'd pervious to the winds: Sometimes only the changing of a window, or door, from the south, and exposing it to the north, has done a great cure. It is well observ'd in the relation of my Lord Howard's voyage to Constantinople, that, at Vienna they have frequent winds, which if they cease long in the summer, the plague often ensues; so that it is now grown into a proverb: that, if Austria be not windy, it's subject to contagion.

In the next place, what advancement might be expected from hence to the art of navigation, since, I am confident that more ships perish, by our ignorance of the winds and currents, then by any other disaster which happens on the seas: If the masters of ships were oblig'd to give in journals of their voyages to all parts of the world; and these for many years compar'd with each other, we should not only be able to collect a complete history of the trade winds, and monsoons, and their variations in the severall latitudes and meridians, (which would be of very great importance) but should find, that there are many anniversary tempests which might be very certainly foretold by the seasons of the yeare, and provision made accordingly; beside other usefull circumstances of the annuall motions, and reversions of the seas, according to the declination of the sun (which hitherto most of our seamen have thought to proceed purely from chance) might be reducible to so regular observations, that, beside the great improvements which would redound from hence to philosophy, and all naturall knowledge; it would be of no small advantage to the interest of trade and navigation. This noble art is worthy of philosophers and mathematicians, and the mechanical part ought to be esteem'd the least, that should accomplish a skilfull seaman. So that, men of letters ought not to dispise this, as a rude and illiberall profession; to which we must be beholding for the most considerable discoveries of nature.

Then, as to their continuance or succession: It has been noted that if the winds change conformably to the motion of the sun; as from the east to the south, from the south to the west, &c. they seldome return thither again, at least for no long time: But, if there changes happen in a contrary manner to the course of the sun, as from west to south, from south to east, &c. they usually revert back again to the former points, before they complete the whole circuit of the compasse: We have this remarque in my Lord Bacon; and he disdain'd not to borrow severall observations of this kind, from husbandmen and sheapherds; who are lesse within doors, and more concern'd in all the vicissitudes of the yeare, whether or no they are like to expect kind seasons for their corn and flocks.

(Continued from p. 53.-cL crew lost. cs crew saved. d drowned.)

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