The ocean / By P. H. Gosse.

  • Gosse, Philip Henry, 1810-1888.
Date:
[pref. 1845]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The ocean / By P. H. Gosse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    37/388 (page 19)
    south-west monsoons, but the former is the regular trade, the latter alone is the anomaly, and needs explanation. The cause usually assigned, is the rarefaction of the air on the continent of Asia during the summer months, when the sun is north of the equator; the air from the Indian Ocean flowing in to supply its place. This would suffi- ciently explain why the wind should be southerly, but leaves its westerly inclination entirely unac- counted for; and this seems the more inexplicable, because one would suppose that the air over the burning deserts of Arabia and North Africa would be much more heated, and that the direction of the supplying current would be south-east. Strange, however, as the fact is, it is perfectly uniform in its occurrence, and is obviously a very gracious or- dination of God’s beneficent providence, in dimi- nishing the uncertainties of navigation. There is yet another phenomenon connected with the wind, in the climates of which we speak, that requires notice; it is the alternation of the land and sea breezes. Every one who has resided near the coast in tropical countries is aware of the eager- ness with which the setting in of the sea-breeze is looked for. Usually about the hour of ten in the forenoon, when the heat of the sun begins to be oppressive, a breeze from the sea springs up, in- vigorating and refreshing the body by its delight- ful coolness, and continues to blow through the whole day, gradually dying away as the sun sinks to the horizon. Then, about eight in the evening, an air blows off the land, until near sunrise, but this