in about 130 Foot The other Day two Gentlemen belonging to the Province of New-Hampshire in New-England whence they came not long since and imployed by that Colony to his Majesty here answer'd me that in the Winter the coldest Wind that blows in their Country is the North-West and being ask'd again what was their hottest Wind in Summer they told me it was likewise the North-West At which Answer being surprized I ask'd them whether they could give any Reason of so odd a Phenomenon Whereto they answered that they ascribed it to the large Tract of the Continent and the great Woods that lay to the North-West which Woods they said in the Winter had their Branches through which the Wind past all laden with Snow And in the Summer they said the close Air of the Vallies and the thick Steams that fill'd it would conceive so intense an Heat that sometimes in the Heat of Summer when a sudden Puff of Wind blew upon their Faces from those sultry Vales it seem'd to them as if it came out of the Mouth of a Furnace and would be ready to overcome them with the Faintness produced by the Heat and Vapours it brought along with it De montibus ad Bavariam stantibus mira est Alberti Chanow â—â— nostri narratio post Bergreichensteinam oppidum fodinis hodie quae nobile esse montes non tam situ alii enim ad septentrionem alii ad meridiem latus obvertunt quam Coelo temporibus adversantes callibus latissimis montes illos dirimentibus monstri instar est quod se vidisse Anno 1639 in rem praesentem venisse religiosissimus ille Apostolicus vir asserit in altero monte saepius aestatem in altero apposito hiemem dominari ita ille siccus aestivat hic altissimis nivibus obsitus à viatore superari non potest ob eamque causam Messes ipsae variant dum in montibus ad nos obversis demessa sunt omnia altera Montium parte seges virescit Mirius illud quod in Biessinensibus Czachroviensibus Agris in tractu Plsnensi contiguis quos unus tantum sulcus dirimit ac dividit deprehenditur Czachrovienses adhuc hibernant cum in Biessinensi Coelum ardeat ibi caput attollit humo â—â—â—â—mentum cum Czachroviiadolescit in culmum elemento quoque dispari illud riget hoc tepet fervet eâque ex causâ dum Czachrovienses bene pelliti ingrediuntur Biessinenses pellibus onerari se sentiunt villosque deponunt Aliquid tale Anno 1652. mihi quoque accidisse memini nam cum Glacio Zambergam in Bohemia contenderem Glacio ob nives altissimas certum vehiculi genus quod trabas dicimus sumpsissem superatis montibus qui comitatum Glacensem à Bohemia dividunt subitò alia rerum facies apparuit altero enim montium latere viridia omnia reperimus sic ut Trahae nulli jam rei usui essent currum petere cogeremur nisi in luto natare placuisset at accolae montium illorum quotannis id sibi accidere confirmabant ut unum latus montium profundissimae nives contegerent quando alterum latus lectissimos flores proferret cum ibi omnia ventis verti viderentur apud se e floribus suavissimos odores efflari I learned by Inquiry of an ingenious Gentleman who several times went down into the Hungarian Gold-Mine at Cremnitz that when he was drawn up out of the deep Pit or perpendicular Groove whose Depth exceeded 100 Feer when he had ascended above half the way he found the Air sensibly warm and so it continued till he came by many Foot nearer the Day as the Workmen call the Orifice of the Pit And when I ask'd whether this notable and suddain Heat did not proceed from some Mineral through which he passed in that Region of the Earth or part of the Groove He answered me that he believed it did in regard he was there surrounded with a Vein or Bed of native Vitriol some of one Colour some of another which he found to be soft under Ground though it soon after harden'd in the Air and of these differingly colour'd sorts of Vitriol he brought up thence several Pieces some of which he presented me And when I ask'd whether the new Heat he found in that Part of the Mine did not proceed from its being much nearer than the lower Part to the Air which at that time was hot and whether he found the Heat to increase as he came nearer the Day He answered in the Negative and told me that after he had in his Ascent left beneath him that warm Region he found himself cold again in the superiour Part of the Groove to which the Vitriolate Region did not reach I remember on this occasion that asking an intelligent Person who had more than once crossed the Torrid Zone what Expedient they used in his Ship to keep their Beer and other Liquors cool enough to be drinkable in those sultry Climates He answered that their way was to take the Bottle they mean to use and wrap it about with a course Linnen Cloth dipp'd in the Sea-water and then in some convenient Place of the Ship hang it in the Wind which beating freely and uncessantly upon it would in no long time cool it to be potable enough And this Gentleman who was an observing Person added farther that having sometimes for Curiosity sake taken away a Bottle before it had been exposed above half the usual time he was able to find by the Taste that part of the Beer or Wine that was next the sides of the Bottle to be refrigerated whilst the more inward Parts of the Liquor did yet continue hot The Czar's chief Physician confirmed to me that in the Year 1664 or 63 extraordinary dry and great Scopes of Land were set on Fire and miserably wasted by the great Heat of the Sun And he added that the very last Year he found the like to have happened in Norway particularly in a Place call'd by us Bear-haven where having seen the Ruine of divers Wood-houses burnt and inquiring into the Cause he was answered that the Weather being very dry and hot not only the Grass and other Vegetables were scorch'd up but those wooden Houses among others were set on Fire which was confirmed to him by the Governor of the Place and countenanced by this Circumstance that he saw the Country covered with a fresh and verdent Livery of new Grass brought up instead of that which was burnt by some Rains that fell a while before A Traveller and Scholar being ask'd by me whether at Mozambique which is thought the hottest Place in the known World he had never observed the Houses to be set on Fire with the mere Heat of the Sun He answered me that in the three Months he stayed there he saw no such thing but the Inhabitants affirmed it not to be very unfrequent and as he passed to and fro shewed him
something of Illusion offer'd to his Eyes by the Beams of the Sun that shone upon the Neighbouring Objects wherefore he rubb'd his Eyes and the new Scene not vanishing he call'd to his Royal Highness the Duke of York who was present when his Majesty was pleased to make me the Relation and to some of the attending Courtiers that were nearest at hand to make them Partakers and Witnesses of this delightful Spectacle which after it had been gazed on a little while did somewhat slowly disappear as if it had sunk down again into the Ocean Of the Cause of this rare Phaenomenon I ventur'd to propose to the King this Conjecture That the Place where it was seen lying the same way that the Coast of France did and that Coast being but a little too far off to be discern'd before it might very well happen that either by Action of the Sun or rather by subterraneal Steams the Air interposed between the Shore and his Majesties Eyes was fill'd with Vapors and Exhalations that made it much more refractive than formerly and by Help of this supervening Refraction the French Coast that lay beyond it was raised and as it were lifted up in reference to the Sight and so became visible as long as that new Refraction lasted And when the Steams that occasion'd it were either got up too high or were by the Winds or Sun too much dissipated or dispersed the Apparition ceased together with the unusual Refraction that caused it And in favour of this Conjecture I alledg'd that familiar Experiment in which a Piece of Gold or the like convenient Object being put into the bottom of an empty Cup and the Eye being so placed that the Object is but just hid from it by the Interposition of the Side of the Cup if Water be poured into the Vessel though neither the Eye nor the Object be at all removed yet the Piece of Gold will be plainly seen because the Surface of the Water which is a thicker Medium than the Air breaking the Rays that tend from the Object towards the Beholder's Eye according to the Laws of Refraction that is from the Perpendicular they are so bended that those fall now into the Pupil that if it were not for the Water would either fall upon the Side of the Cup and so be hinder'd from passing forward or else would fall upon the Eye-lids or Eye-brows or some other Part above the Pupil and so would not make the Object visible The Duke of York was also pleased to tell me that he was somewhat surprized when being near the Borders of Scotland in a Season that did not promise much fair Weather he saw one Morning the Sky very red and thereupon said that he fear'd they should have foul Weather according to the usual Prognostick of Country-men and Mariners but some of the Scotish Nobility that attended his Highness told him that in that Country such red Mornings did not bode a foul Day but rather promise a fair one which Prediction of theirs was justified by the Event Upon which occasion I enquired of a very intelligent Scotish Noble-man how far the Observation held in his Country To which he answer'd that with a due Limitation it was most commonly true for though when the Redness seems to be very near the Ground and appears in somewhat narrow Streaks of an intense Red it signifies bad Weather yet if the Morning Redness appears elevated in the Air or Sky especially if the Wind be Easterly it usually foretels a fair Day Some Observations of Capt. James in his Northern Voyage Mr. J. T. and others February I practised some Observations by the rising and setting of the Sun calculating the time of his rising and setting by very true running Glasses As for our Clock and Watch notwithstanding we still kept them by the Fire-side in a Chest wrap'd in Clothes yet were they so frozen that they could not go My Observations by these Glasses I compared with the Stars coming to the Meridian By this means we found the Sun to rise twenty Minutes before it should and in the Evening to remain above the Horizon twenty Minutes or thereabouts longer than it should do And all this by reason of the Refraction Capt. James March This Evening the Moon rose in a very long Oval alongst the Horizon April The Weather continued with this Extremity until the fifteenth at which time our Spring was harder frozen than it had been all the Year before I had often observed the Difference betwixt clear Weather and misty refractious Weather in this manner From a little Hill which was near adjoining to our House in the clearest Weather when the Sun shone with all the Purity of Air that I could conceive we could not see a little Island which bare off us South-South-East some four Leagues but if the Weather were misty as aforesaid then we should often see it from the lowest Place This little Island I had seen the last Year when I was on Danby-Island The 13th I took the Height of it instrumentally standing near the Sea-side which I found to be 34 Minutes the Sun being 28 Degrees high This shows how great a Refraction here is Yet may this be noted by the way that I have seen the Land elevated by reason of the refractious Air and nevertheless the Sun hath risen perfect round January 6. I observed the Latitude with what Exactness I could it being very clear Sun-shine Weather which I found to be 51 52. This Difference is by reason that here is a great Refraction January 21. I observed the Sun to rise like an Oval alongst the Horizon I called three or four to see it the better to confirm my Judgment and we all are agreed that it was twice as long as it was broad We plainly perceived withal that by Degrees as it got up higher it also recovered Roundness Attending upon Sir Peter Wych in his Journey for Warsaw the Beginning of June 16 69 70 whilst we lay about three Polish Miles from the City attending the Preparations for his Reception there we had very clear and extream cold Weather and for two Days together we observed the Sun and two Parhelions or three Suns from above ten a Clock to near twelve not the least Cloud appearing in the Air but that so serene that we took notice of the Icy Spangles in the Air flying about like Atoms in the Sun's Beams This is also worth taking notice of that whereas in ordinary frosty Weather any smooth Iron or other Metal whether Heads of Sticks Pomels of Swords or Barrels of Guns being brought out of the open Air into a warm Room there will presently first a Dulness in the Glass and then Drops of Water appear At this time there would immediately appear the Likeness of an hoar Frost Now whether the Particles of Cold be so subtile as to pierce or enter into polished Metal I will not determine tho the Experience of wetting one Finger with his Spittle
been well graduated 12 or 16 Degrees being the most that are set upon the common Weather-Glass whereas to the making of accurate Observations it would require a Cylinder to be divided into at least 360 Parts though I think it neither unreasonable nor unpracticable to have one divided into 1000 Parts allowing but 10 Degrees to each Inch which is no unusual Division seeing such an one will much better discover not only the small but the more suddain and remarkable Changes of the Weather which are of chiefest Use than any others that are common and ordinary 4. Although no Liquor ought to be used in these Glasses that is subject to Frost yet we have little or no Account what those Liquors are that might be best or fittest for the accurate making of those Experiments whether those whose Property it is somewhat to attract the Air and so to preserve themselves in at least their first Quantity as Oleum Sulphuris per Campanam Ol. Vitrioli Liquor Salis Tartari c. Or 2dly Whether those whose Parts are finest subtilest and nearest of kin to the Air such as is Spirit of Wine Spirit of Terebinth well rectified and according as there is occasion still fresh supplied Or 3dly Whether those that are of a middle Nature as strong Spirit of Vinegar Or 4thly Whether instead of these and beyond these it may not be best to use only well-refined Quicksilver All which several Particulars as they are necessary and ought to be first ascertained yet they are but preliminary to the Experiments themselves In the making of the Experiments themselves therefore it would be convenient 1st That several Thermometers of one Proportion Length and Graduation in their Cylinders in all Respects as near as may be were set in one Frame together either with one and the same or with Variety of Liquors 2dly That several of these Frames were set in several Rooms and that fome were exposed immediately to the Air it self yet so as it may be conveniently sheltred from the actual Rays of the Sun and from the Injury of Storms Rain and Winds In the History it self there cannot be too much Care and Exactness provided the Air of the Chimny Cranny of a Wall or Door Breath of People or other such Accidents do not interpose to deceive a Man's Observation which must be circumspectly foreseen and considered The Proportion between the Warmth of the Day and Night in constant Weather the Agreement or Disagreement of the Motion of the Air with the Motions of the superiour Bodies in all uncertain changeable and inconstant Weather the Efficacy or Inefficacy through these in foretelling of Winds and Rain the Air its particular Disposition under Thunder under times of Mildews or Blastings eminent Eclipses Conjunctions with many other the like Particulars which will of themselves be incident to an ingenious diligent apprehensive Person may be the Subject of this History I shall not digress so far as to tell you what other things may be done by the Help of this excellent Instrument this being not pertinent to our present Purpose Yet it is certain that Drebble that great singular learned Mechanick did by the Help of this Instrument make a Dial continually to move of it self regularly shewing both the times of the Day and other Motions of the Heavens did also make an Automatous Instrument of Musick and found out a Furnace which he could govern to any Degree of Heat but whether these have died with him or how far the Meditations of others have wrought upon them I shall humbly refer to a more leasurable Inquiry And if you can inform me among any of your Acquaintance or Correspondents I should be glad to hear and to learn any thing of this Nature or relating to the further Use Experiment or Improvement of this rare little Instrument or to the further clearing ventilating or discussing the Theory or Doctrine of the Planets or the Physical Use and Power of these Bodies that we have thus briefly made an Essay of Thus far that Letter They have a received Tradition in Java and probably in divers other Islands of the South Sea that the Beams of the Moon are wont to cause Contractures in the Body of those Men that stay too long exposed to them The Truth of which Tradition was lately confirmed to me by an ingenious Doctor that with Applause practised Physick in those Parts who assured me that he had observed that upon the Account before mentioned some were made lame or else had some of their Limbs contracted for divers Weeks and some for many Months or even a longer time And when I asked him whether he had at any time been subject to that Mischief himself He answered that whilst he was a Novice in those Parts after a very hot Day he laid himself down very slenderly covered to sleep according to the Custom of the Place near the Door of the House he lodg'd in but being unacquainted with the Tradition he unskilfully chose a Place upon which the Moon could fully beat for a good part of the Night which being past before he wak'd when he went to rise he found his Neck so stiff that he was scarce able at all to stir it and his Mouth was so drawn awry that 't was hideous to behold and continued so unsightly that Shame forced him to keep within for some Days during which he made Use of brisk Aromatick Medicines by whose Help he got off a Contracture that used to stay very much longer with others And when I asked him if these Distempers were not occasioned rather by the Coldness of the Night and Subtilty of the Air than the Operation of the Moon 's Beams He answered me that 't was generally observ'd that the other Causes without the direct Beams of the Moon were not wont to produce such bad Effects and that his Landlord when he saw his Mouth awry told him that if he had made him acquainted with his Design to pass the Night in the open Air he would have prevented this Mischief by lodging him in a Place unexposed to the Moon 's Light TITLE XIV Of the Height of the Atmosphere  TITLE XV. Of the Motion of the Air and of Winds Extract of a Letter from Fort St. George dated January the 23d 1668. ALthough the Bar of Porta Nova proved more shallow and dangerous than we were informed yet she our Ship got safe in thither and it was well she did so Had we kept her here there had been no Possibility of her Escape from perishing in a dreadful Storm or rather Hurricane which happened here the 22d of November The like hath not been known here in any Man's Memory The Tempest of Wind and Rain was so exceeding violent that nothing could stand before it Men and Beasts carried into the Sea by the Violence of the Winds and Floods the Generality of the Houses in this and the Neighbour Towns were ruined scarce any Trees left standing in Gardens or elsewhere
Beginning of the Night more Stars in the Firmament than ever I had seen before by two thirds I could see the Cloud in Cancer full of small Stars and amongst the Pleiades a great many small Stars About ten a Clock the Moon did rise and then a quarter of them was not to be seen The Wind for the most part of this Month hath been Northeâ—ly and very cold c. Capt. James p. 62. The Russian Emperor's Physician confirmed to me by word of Mouth what he had some Years since told me in a Letter that one Night which was exceeding cold and clear being awakened out of his Sleep by a Shake that had like to have overturn'd his Sled he look'd out and saw more Stars by far than ever he saw in England or the Neighbouring Parts of Europe and particularly that he saw many about the 7 Stars or the Pleiades and divers others he had not seen before in several other Parts of the Sky He farther told me that these Stars seemed far more beautiful and bright than was usual insomuch that he doubts not that if it had not been for the Snow some of them would have cast a discernable Shadow For Confirmation he saith that the Phaenomena were not only taken notice of by him but by others that travelled with him and that though he often gazed at the Sky since that time he never could see there near so many Stars nor so bright December 4. I had not time the last Week to tell you of something that to us that have not been long in this Country seems strange but the People of this Place say happens very often On the 29th of the last Month after I had written and sent away my Letters looking out of the Dutchesses Window to see what Weather it was I saw towards the N E. alongst the Horizon it look'd as light and just as if it had been Break-of-Day it was then about a quarter past eleven and gave as great a Light I went then into the Drawing-Room and looking out of that Window could look more Northerly and saw it was more light due N. and saw several Streaks of Light like the Tail of the Blazing Star all pointing N. and S. one of which was as long or longer than that we saw last Year for it reached from the Horizon and pass'd betwen Charles's Wain and the N. Star and reached up just over our Heads The small ones sometimes disappeared and then we saw others of the same Dimensions appear in other Places they were all near the great one two of them seem'd as if their Light had come from the two Guards in Charles's Wain and when they vanished others appeared more South I went to the other Side of the House and saw that the Light reached from the W. or W N W. by the N. to the E. or E N E. I did not go out because it blew very hard and was very wet contenting my self to see it out of the House but sent Geo. Man up the Hill who saw the same and it was so clear they could see the Frith About the New Moon before there was such a Light as this seen by Lord Belcarus as he came in the Night from St. Andrews to his House and by the Seamen of the Yacht at Leith and by some here in Town But though the Sky was not then so clear there being broken Clouds yet it gave such Light as they could read very plainly as they told me that began about 7 and lasted till 9. This last I did not see till after 11 and at a quarter of 12 it began to lessen at which time I went to Bed and the Tails were then no more to be seen Tell Dr. Flamsted of this and know of him whether he has seen or heard of such kind of things This was from his Royal Highness the Duke of York then High Commissioner in Scotland An intelligent Gentleman that liv'd in Africk being asked by me how far off he was able to see the Top of the Pico of Teneriff at Sea replied that by the Estimate of the Captain of the Ship it was near 50 Leagues and yet it appear'd to him so high above some Clouds and so near that he was fain to cast his Head up to see it TITLE XXI Of the Operation of the Air on the Consistency of Animal Substances AS on the one side the Schools teach the Air to be a simple and elementary Body that is only hot and moist so on the other Side the Generality of Men are so accustomed to judg of things by their Senses that not finding the Air to be a visible Body they ascribe less to it than even the School-men do and what is invisible they think to be next Degree to nothing And indeed both the one sort of Men and the other are wont to consider the Air only as a Receptacle that barely harbours the visible and palpable Bodies committed to it or as it were deposited in it without acting upon them unless it be perhaps a little upon the Account of its manifest Qualities Heat and Moisture But for my part who look upon the Air under another Notion and think it may as well alter as receive the Bodies that lie exposed to it I am apt to allow it in reference to some Bodies certain other Faculties and Powers among which some may be called Generative and Maturative and others Corruptive and this not only in respect of Animals and other Bodies of a slighter Texture but even of Salts and Minerals themselves An observing Man that had sailed to and fro between Europe and the East-Indies answered me among other things about their way of transporting Cheese That the Cheese they used to take along were Cheshire of a very considerable Thickness which they inclosed in leaden Boxes fit for them and thereby were able to preserve them sound till they came to the East-Indies But in case they were not able or neglected to make use of such Boxes he several times observed that cutting a Cheese in two when they were any thing near the Equinoctial that most part of it would be very dry and brittle and seem'd as if it were spoil'd Whereas the Parts about the middle were so fat and soft as if all the unctuous Parts that were wanting in the dried Portion of the Cheese had retired thither and was between Cream and Cheese Which Conjecture was not contradicted by this that if they cut some of them Cheeses when having left the Torrid Zone behind them and had made a good Progress in the Temperate Zone they found the external Portion good and the Consistence of the Cheese uniform enough Quere Whether the moist Particles that flie in the Air be not the great Cause of all Corruption of Bodies since Acosta says that in Peru where it seldom rains all things like dead Bodies keep a great while uncorrupted The like may be observed of Egypt if it be not to be rather imputed to the