EMBASSY TO CHINA;
CHAPTER V.
PASSAGE OF THE LINE. COURSE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.
HARBÓUR, CITY, AND^COUNTRY OF RIO. DE JANEIRO.
N o part of the African contir^Bnt'frolu tKé. neighbourhood
of which the Lion and Hindostan wefe now
directing their route, extends so much to the westward
as that which'lies near the imaginary line called the
Equator, or almost equidistant from the two poles ; nor,
on the other hand, doés the land of South America any
where advance,.or swell' as,it were, so'much out, to'
meet the ancient continent to the eastward, as within a
few degrees o f the same line. Thus fhe waters of the
Atlantic are, hereabouts, brought within narrower bounds
than either toAhe northward or to the southward; and
as, over what thus may comparatively-be called a strait,
the windsblow almost perpetually‘fröm the eastward, it is
not improbable that véssels may, at- different^times, have
been driven from the old to the new continent. •
Across this tract of ocean i f is usually observed that the
winds, blowing easterly from the continent of Africa,
alter their direction as. they approach very near the
opposite continent of America; and take a course be-
tweelrtne horth and Vrest. Such winds are too favour-
EM'B-ASsSYKfEnor (CHINA*
in their
: thp^^^teMst. 1 ’ ThedS'eijjlimfehts ,orb the i€Aasit'j(|t^ Son&h
A^eiiCaPf4fi^dydsov^seBreiresh|n.ej|tsr;iji5. abu nd an^
finding'
te>*waSAfiifecM|>, with t h ^ ^ ’cfc^qd HiqdQstamj#-* St.
I W / |
B ^ h wC#MSndl^ip,©,Bfe.s$ofnR>io
advantage; and
• ltea'Ving^eh&® ape^'e^y e rd ^M rT h 4 ;iVeatheroco^-
•tih'fCcb^r« sOrhe Anih^hAfyan'd vOny-su|try d Many of
thC^l^enfiwho^ffcvedCin Praya^^fYcrei'stilhi*^^
-’jyisfed on blifedi Thet®^^^hibB|^im-ncfen,raki, ’jrfor
-lightn in^fetclear thefea|moS'l)h&^#Uihder fehes^pFfinni-
“fMhces mortality'oftten i^^^^ndtshipsj of] rW^.thijo^ijged
with men,'frequently lose^nOi iricorisiypra^lciproportion
of their complement. Tire h umidqhcat bet*ve< ndcAk'V
-where1 seamen- ate! often''fciojwded, and th^^^pasi^tie^rj
sometimes* suffered by
-fated^tfend not a ’■ llttfe try their '-(pstrU&t-bm-* But
EraSffiiis'; Gower'; established MkoM.‘metkqds? and; regjula-
tionsMur-insuring» cleanliness,, and 'sftjcp^sfhnl: ©.ulatioh
ob'fresh air, througioil^thfi shipdks^ withAother |>,r£-
editions,^Contributed materfallyuto' p lf^ & h ^ f^ p p le .
Every^ part of-tbe Lion>VrasH„w||he(^pre£ul'Ly .with
viftfegtir; -aAd-‘sui^hhfims.\burnfc w L en ew it »wa-slpiac-
h icable^ ^ e ’ntiktors''!of dffereht constructions.*/-wdried