inequality of their surface; for as soon as the sea breeze
dies away, the hot air of the valleys being rarified, ascends toward
the tops of the mountains, and is there condensed by cold, which
makes it specifically heavier than it was before; it then descends
back to the valleys on both sides of the ridge. Hence a night wind
(blowing on all sides from the land toward the shore) is felt in all
the mountainous countries under the torrid zone. On the north shore
the wind comes from the south, and on the south shore from the north.

Storms.--The hurricanes which visit the island, and which obey the
general laws of tropical cyclones, are one of the worst scourges of the
country. For hours before the appearance of this terrible phenomenon
the sea appears calm; the waves come from a long distance very gently
until near the shore, when they suddenly rise as if impelled by a
superior force, dashing against the land with extraordinary violence
and fearful noise. Together with this sign, the air is noticed to be
disturbed, the sun red, and the stars obscured by vapor which seems
to magnify them. A strong odor is perceived in the sea, which is
sulphureous in the waters of rivers, and there are sudden changes in
the wind. These omens, together with the signs of uneasiness manifested
by various animals, foretell the proximity of a hurricane.

This is a sort of whirlwind, accompanied by rain, thunder and
lightning, sometimes by earthquake shocks, and always by the most
terrible and devastating circumstances that can possibly combine to
ruin a country in a few hours. A clear, serene day is followed by the
darkest night; the delightful view offered by woods and prairies is
diverted into the deary waste of a cruel winter; the tallest and most
robust cedar trees are uprooted, broken off bodily, and hurled into
a heap; roofs, balconies, and windows of houses are carried through
the air like dry leaves, and in all directions are seen houses and
estates laid waste and thrown into confusion.

The fierce roar of the water and of the trees being destroyed by the
winds, the cries and moans of persons, the bellowing of cattle and
neighing of horses, which are being carried from place to place by
the whirlwinds, the torrents of water inundating the fields, and a
deluge of fire being let loose in flashes and streaks of lightning,
seem to announce the last convulsions of the universe and the death
agonies of nature itself.

Sometimes these hurr