Page 530

An.1691

Blooms of Heat.

For one afternoon about the 19th of Jan. 1683 in the lat. of 37 South, we felt a brisk gale coming from off the Coast of America^[1], but so violently hot, that we thought it came from some burning Moun- tain on the shore, and was like the heat from the mouth of an Oven. Just such another gleam I felt one afternoon also, as I lay at anchor at the Groin^[2] in July 1694. it came with a Southerly Wind : both these were followed by a Thunder-shower. These were the only great blooms I ever met with in my Travels. But setting these aside, which are exceptions, I have made it my general observation, that the Sea Winds are a great deal warmer than those which blow from Land: unless where the Wind blows from the Poles, which I take to be the true cause of the coldness of the South Wind at the Cape^[3] ; for it is cold at Sea also. And as for the coldness of Land-Winds, as the South-West parts of Europe^[4] are very sensible of it from the Nor- thern and Eastern Winds ; so on the opposite Coast of Virginia^[5], they are as much pinch'd with the North-West Winds, blowing excessively cold from over the Continent : though its lat. be not much greater than this of the Cape^[3].

But to proceed: This large Promontory consists of high, and very remarkable Land: and off at Sea it affords a very pleasant and agreeable prospect. And without doubt the prospect of it was very agreeable to those Portuguefe, who first found out this way by Sea to the East-Indies^[6] : when after coasting along the vast Continent of Africk^[7], towards the South Pole, they had the comfort of seeing the Land and their course end in this promontory: which therefore they called the Cape^[3] de Bon Efperance, or of Good Hope, finding that they might now proceed Eastward.

There is good Sounding off this Cape 50 or 60 leagues at Sea, to the Southward: and therefore our