w -mjba. ftrength and direction, muft never be compared with that o f the
Eaftern trade-winds.
When we came far -to the South, and were either within or near
the antardtic circle, we found again, that the Eaft winds, are the
m o ll-confiant, ' and prevail the longed;*.'
■ If therefore, there is any dépendance on thefe obférvations, ' it is
probable that thefe Eafterly winds are, as--it were, only .a kind of
an eddy-wind, formed by the more general Weftern winds irLthe
temperate zone. So that we might, perhaps, conilder the whole
in this manner : within the tropics,- the great-rarefafldon o f the
atmoiphere caufed by the heat o f the vertical fun produces the
Eaftern trade winds : this confiant motion o f the 'Aerial Fluid
to the Eaft, caufes towards the temperate Zones- a kind o f eddy, fo
that the winds turn gradually South and North,, and laftly Weft,
which is" the prevailing winds o f both the temperate zones.,. But
this ftreaming o f the air to the Eaft, is again in the cold frozen
zones counterpoifed by another kind o f eddy wind from the Eaft.
W e have already mentioned, that we wiih that the fadts we relate
may
See the Recueil des Voyages qui ont fervi à l’ établiflement & au Progrès de la Compagnie
sdés Indes Orientales, voL 1, in the -Third Voyage of Barentz.
See Dalrymple’s -Collection -of Voyages in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, Capt. Halley’s
Journal, p. 52. fc - •
The fame Eaft wind has "been obferved by other Navigators within or near the Polar lues,
Barrington!s Probability of reaching the North Pole, p. 104.
Summary Obférvations and FaCts, by Mr. Faltrav'crs p. 20. The common current from the
3Laftis ftrong and.rapid in thofe feas.
may be diftinguiftied from our inferences', and gueffes j; the former w in d s .
are materials towards the hiftory of: the winds, on our globe-;: the
latter are private opinions, which, though they may be1 condemned,
may nevertheleis. fer.ve as,hints.,., towards, foi-ming a more perfedl
fyftem.
1 1 . v a r i a b l e : w i n d m
Though we have given a general view o f the more prevailing:
winds in'the temperate and frozen zones,, we- meant not-by. any
means to fay,, that.there are.no other, winds blowing in thefe,zones;
nay, we are fo far from afferting this, that we. will now give an im
fiance to the contrary.. When weeroffed thc-PacificrOcean,.between
40” and 46° South latitude, in. the year 177-3:,- direfting our epurfe
Eaftward, we found in this run, contraiyEaftem.winds frequently
to prevail.;, and what is more remarkable, when the. winds again-began
to change, we obferved four different times;: between June
,5th and July 5th, that, they gradually went round the compafs,.
but alway’s-againft the fun.
-- About New Zeeland, we obferved tHe winds to. be- for. the moft
part Wefterly, and they are often in the winter very furious-
In, the feas between New Zeeland and Tierra.del Euego, in N o -
S vembec