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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	east_n	land_n	league_n	1,491	5	9.2013	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53649	A voyage to Suratt in the year 1689 giving a large account of that city and its inhabitants and of the English factory there : likewise a description of Madiera, St. Jago, Annobon, Cabenda, and Malemba (upon the coast of by J. Ovington.	Ovington, J. (John), 1653-1731.	1696 (1696)	Wing O701; ESTC R26896	238,999	640

Observation of Sea-men That a Tempest ceases about the same time generally that it does arise And because I am fallen upon this Subject I shall before I enter any farther upon Bombay give a brief Account of the Nature of these Mussouns in India A Description of the Mussouns This is the only proper Season of the Year for Rain which falls here with such violence and on all the Coasts of Malabar that it hinders all Navigation and puts a general stop to all Journeys by Land For during this time all the Land Carriages cease and all the Ships both European and Indian are laid up in Harbour It continues in these parts for the space of three or four Months The time of its Continuance from the latter end of May 'till the middle of September but in June and July do fall the most plentiful Showers and that sometimes without intermission for ten or fifteen days together It s Violence intercepting the appearance of either Sun or Star all that while The whole Hemisphere then is most sullenly Dark and the Sky over-cast with the thickest weighty Clouds so that the Earth seems rather inclosed within a huge Ocean of Water than only a few watry Clouds whose black and lowring Aspect is so very melancholy that it gives the fairest representation imaginable of the terrours of a second universal Deluge Sometimes in Three or Four Hours time such Showers fall from these full Clouds that the Currents run along the Streets swelled to that height that they are scare fordable on Horse-back After this Excess in July the Showers gradually decrease the Horizon clears up like the first dawning of the Day 'till at length the Heavens are all over Bright and the benighted Sun displays his vigour and banish'd Rays again The Bannians Offerings to the Ocean to appease it Then do the Bannians endeavour to appease the incensed Ocean by Offerings to its inraged Waves and in great plenty throw their gilded Coco-nuts into the Sea to pacifie its storms and Fury and render it peaceable and calm And after these Ceremonious Oblations are past the Oraculous Bramins declare safety to the Ships that will venture upon the Ocean before which not one of them will offer to weigh an Anchor The Young Boys are much delighted with this Custom for whatever Coco-nuts are thrown into the Water they immediately swim in and fetch them out Rains fall only at these times The Mussouns are the only Season for watering of their Fields their Meadows and Arable Land And for the preservation of this Element wherever they sow their Rice they endeavour to reduce the Ground to a Level that nothing of this Heavenly Moisture may be lost The foulest Weather when the Sun is nearest The Sun's approach to the Natives of Europe promiseth them the fairest Weather and here the fowlest The reason of which is his Vertical Exaltation which with great violence Exhales the Vapours of the Earth and returns them as plentifully again Therefore both under the Aequator and the Tropick when the Sun has been in the Zenith I have perceiv'd the Air has been more temperate and the Weather cooler than at ten or twelve Degrees distance from it And that abundant moisture which is always powerfully drawn up near the Aequator from which the Sun is never very far distant abates that scorching Heat of his Influence which otherwise would be scarce tolerable to either Animal or Plant. And therefore in the middle of May before the Southerly Winds set in which bring the Rains along with them Ink dried up in the Pen by the Heat the Air at Surat is so very dry that it licks up the Moisture in the Pen before we are able to write it out and so intensly Hot especially about 3 in the Afternoon that we cannot well endure the standing for any long time upon the Grass where the Sun's Beams have their full force This causes our sprinkling the Floors of our Chambers frequently with Water The Floors commonly sprinkled with Water to create a kind of Fresco in them during this Season and makes us Employ our Peons in Fanning of us with Murchals made of Peacocks Feathers Murchals four or five Foot long in the time of our Entertainments and when we take our Repose Now as in other Countries the periods of the variety of Weather are uncertain the Fair and Foul succeeding one another with great variety and alteration and as in India they have stated and fixt times without any doubtful vicissitudes so likewise even there they do not observe throughout all places the same Months The time of the Mussouns different in some places For upon the East side of Cape Comorin on the Coast of Coromondel from April to September the Weather is Fair and in the other Months is the Winter-like Weather whereas on the Coast of Malabar which lies to the West the Fair Weather begins in September and ends in May. So that in passing over-over-land from one Coast to the other the Travellers who are unacquainted with it are at a stand to find two different Seasons of Winter and Summer in 20 or 30 Leagues distance The Rains likewise come from different Quarters in these different Regions The Mussouns arise from several quarters some from the South some from the West and some from the East And at the Maldive Islands which are reckoned 12 Thousand the Rains follow the Course of the Waters from the West which are carried by an impetuous Current for six Months together towards the East that is from April to September the other six Months are Hot and Calm with the Winds setled from the East The Mussouns are rude and Boisterous in their departure The Stormy Seasons of the Mussouns as well as at their coming in which two Seasons are call'd the Elephant in India and just before their breaking up take their farewell for the most part in very ruggid huffing weather As if they were constrain'd to force their Entrance and Combat the fair Seasons before they could make way for their admittance and were likewise resolv'd to try their utmost effort sooner than tamely resign their Empire and quit the Coast For Nature must needs be under great Conflicts and disorder by such a suddain Change from an uninterrupted Sun-shine to such constant Rains When once the Mussouns are past India wants Rain for 8 or 9 Months the other Months are under the serenest influence of the Heavens without one Fertile Cloud for several succeeding Months visible in the whole Firmament but the chearful Sun from six to six is never veil'd with gloomy Meteors or Eclipsed with dark and Melancholy Exhalations from the Earth But all the Animal Generations bask themselves in his warm Rays without any fear of Rain or Tempests or chilly nipping Weather And now the Vegetable Race below Trees and Corn Flowers and Herbs grace the World with infinite variety of delightful Forms and

to stand bent by reason of the warm insinuating Aether which softens its Spring and Elastick Spirit THE ISLAND OF ANNOBON Annobon describ'd THE first Land we made after our crossing the Aequinoctial was Annobon which lies in the Latitude of one and an half and is reckon'd about Ten Leagues in its Circumference We were driven unhappily to the Leeward of it and luffed up to it for the space of two days but were hindred from fetching it by its lying directly in the Eye of the Wind. It had the name of Annobon given it because it was first discovered upon the first Day of the Year It s great Plenty The scarcity of our fresh Provisions which by this time were almost spent made us beat up to Windward more vigorously especially when we heard that they were to be purchased at such easie rates that a roasting Pig might be bought for a Sheet of Paper But tho' we judg'd our selves unfortunate in not being able to reach this plentiful Island yet we were pleas'd with the Prospect which we had of it because we had been long Strangers to such a Sight And it gratified us with the fragrant Smells which were wafted from the Shoar from whence at three Leagues distance we scented the Odours of Flowers and fresh Herbs Land smell'd by the Sailers at a great distance And what is very observable when after a tedious Stretch at Sea we have deem'd our selves to be near Land by our Observation and Course our Smell in dark and misty Weather has outdone the Acuteness of our Sight and we have discover'd Land by the fresh Smells before we discern'd it with our Eyes The Inhabitants observing our Toil and Industry to stretch into the Harbour made Fires on Shoar to give us Light in the Night time and sent off to us with some Oranges and Fowls a Canoo or two that is a long sharp Boat fashion'd out of one piece of Timber which was rowed with Six Oars The Islanders that came in it were formerly known to some on Board us whom we conferred with concerning their Belief and the Religion which they professed They confess'd themselves of the Roman Faith The Ignorance of the People and were eminent Believers of that Church by the profound Ignorance which they profess'd in scarce knowing what Mass meant or the Pope from the great Mogul They were born in Africa and bating the Name of Catholicks were as Heathenish as if they had never come from thence which they ascrib'd to their want of Priests among them No Priests This amaz'd me and put me to a stand to consider how those who travel Sea and Land to make Proselytes to whom neither Siam China nor Japan are esteemed too remote a Pilgrimage for making Converts should yet neglect a place so nigh as Annobon overlook a Care so much nearer Surely some fatal Disease some Infectious Air must ravage and lay waste the place that affrighted those zealous Fathers from inhabiting among them No the Air was healthful and serene the Island fruitful but very poor they know of no reigning Distempers among them unless we would account Poverty one They were stor'd with plenty of Provisions and indigent in nothing but Gold and Silver of which they had none Or if they were Masters of a little of that at some chance time the first Priest that happen'd to come upon the Island was certain of draining it by Confessions whose stay was never longer among them than the Money lasted but his Minutes were always spent as soon as their Mites Now I imagin'd that a place where was such scarcity of Wealth should have best suited with those whose Profession is Poverty because they seem then to be in their proper Element and freed from the Temptations of Riches which they voluntarily renounce And that the Eastern Nations which abound in Wealth and Luxury should be less frequented by Men that pretend to be dead to the World Upon this Island The great Convenience of some Harbours as well as upon many others the Road for Ships lieth conveniently on the Leeside as at St. Thomas which is under the Line Ascension St. Helena St. Jago Mauritius and many more as well in the East as West Indies which are by an All-wise Providence made this way serviceable for avoiding the danger of Shipwrack which would be inevitable on the Weather-side when the Winds blew fresh and the Seas were high For in these places the Winds generally hang towards one Quarter which renders the opposite part of the Island calm and safe And though some few Islands are observ'd destitute of this Convenience in their Harbours and are not so well accommodated with Ports for the securing of Ships yet are these very rare and for the most part not very necessary for Navigators to come near them With such an Infinite Wisdom are all things contriv'd for the peculiar Ends and Designs to which they serve THE COAST OF AFRICA NOT long after this we espy'd the Coast of Africa Part of Africa a Degree Northward of the River Congo and coming near the Shoar were becalm'd and driven backward in one Night's time five Leagues towards the North. But that Misfortune was drown'd by the Pleasure we receiv'd in the refreshment of abundance of Rain which fell that Night a Drop of which we had not seen for at least two Months before The richest Wine could not please our Palates with half that Delight Scarcity of Water on Board as this Blessing which descended from Heaven in Showers upon us For being all this while under the hot Influence of the Sun-Beams confin'd to the Torrid Region the Provisions being salt Beef and the Water in the Cask so unsavoury and corrupt that to quench our Thirst we must stifle our smelling and shut our Nostrils when we open'd our Mouths and of this poor stinking Liquor in all this Feverish Weather the Allowance being only a Quart a Day this made a Glass of this fresh Liquor drink most pleasant and cheer'd our Hearts as if they had been refresh'd with the noblest Wine For impatient of letting it fall into the Tubs which were placed upon the Decks on purpose to receive the falling Water no Wine was more greedily catcht at by the Vulgar out of publick Conduits on a solemn Day than the Rain was by the Sailers in their Bowls and Hats Such a Relish does a starved Appetite find even in course Fare To such Inconveniences are Men sometimes driven by tedious Voyages The pleasant Shoar Stretching along this Shoar a Strand extended in the Semicircle of more than twenty Leagues presented us with a most delightful Prospect which received in its Bosom Neptune's rowling Waves upon an even and plain Surface Above this extended Plain were several gently rising Hills The fruitfulness of the place cloathed with Grass and variety of Trees all in their Summer Livery This unexpected Verdure of the Fields tempted us to fancy our selves rather in