40 t r a v e l s i n
« vanifhes into air— to thin air.” Every other part o f the
hemifphere fhews a cigar blue iky undifturbed by a finrie
vapor. °
Though it has been ufual to confider the year at the Gape
as confifting o f two periods, called the good and the bad mon-
loon, yet, as thefe are neither regular in their returns, nor certain
m their continuance, the divifion into four feafons, as in
Europe, fliould appear to^be much more proper. The fpring,
reckoned from the beginning o f September to that o f December
is the moil agreeable feafon. The fummer, from December to*
March, is the hotteft. The autumn, from March to June, is
variable weather, generally fine, and the latter part very plea-
fant. And the winter, from June to September, though in
general pleafant, is frequently very ftormy, rainy, and cold.
The two moft powerful winds are the north-weft and fouth-
eall. The firft generally commences to wards the end o f May,
and blows occafionally till the end o f Auguft, and fometimes
through the month of September. The fouth-eaft predominates
the reft of the year, and, when the cloud ihews itfelf on
thé mountain, blows in fqualls with great violence. In the
midft o f one o f thefe ftorms the appearance o f the heavenly
bodies, as obferved by the Abbé de la Caille, is ftrange and
terrible : “ The ftars look larger, and feem to dance ; the moon '
“ has an undulating tremor; and the planets have a fort of
« beard like comets.” Effects fuch as thefe are not confined to
the Cape alone, but are, in many parts o f the world, among
the terrific accompaniments o f a ftorm, and are probably
occafioned by looking at the objects through a medium
that
that is loaded with vapor, and moving along with great
velocity.
The approach of winter is firft obferved by the fouth-eaft
winds becoming lefs frequent, lefs violent, and blowing clear,
or without the fleecy cloud upon the mountain. Dews then
begin to fall very heavy, and thick fogs hang in the mornings
about the hills. The north-weft winds feel- raw and cold, and
increafe at length to a ftorm, with heavy rain, thunder, and
lightning, continuing generally for two or three days. When
the weather brightens up, the mountains on the continent
appear with their tops buried in fnow : the Table has alfo a
fprinkling of fnow or hail about the fummit. At fuch times
the thermometer, about fun-rife, ftands in the town at 40°, and
will probably afcend, towards the middle of the day, to 70°,
making a variation in temperature of 30 degrees in the courfe
o f five or fix hours. The general ftandard, however, for the
three winter months may be reckoned from 50° at fun-rife to
60° at noon ; and in the very middle o f fummer it varies from
70° to 90°, but generally refts for days together at 83° or 84°.
It has been known to exceed 100° in Cape Town ; but inftances
o f fo high a degree of temperature have been very rare. The,
heat of fummer is feldom oppreflive. The mornings are fometimes
clofe and fultry, but the nights are always cool. The
fouth-eaft breeze ufually fprings up towards the middle of the
day, and dies away in the evening. When thefe winds blow
with violence, and the cloud appears on the mountain, their
greateft ftrength is when the fun has pafled the meridian
about 30 degrees, and they continue in fqualls till mid