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Let no body think that we carry this our Affertion too far; because the great Creator of all Things, in order to ftop the Mouth of these blafphemous and deplorable Atheists, and to deprive them of all Evafions, and fheltering themfelves again behind a neceffary Confequence of ignorant and natural Causes, has fhown them that it was in his Power to have govern'd the Winds after a quite different manner; and particularly to have render'd the Seas impracticable and unnavigable by Calms and variable Winds.

For a Proof hereof, we fhall make ufe of the Words of that great Mathematician, the prefent learned Profeffor of Geometry at Oxford, Dr. Edmund Halley, who, after he had been a long time between the Tropicks upon the Island of St. Helena, and having made diligent Enquiry into the Nature of the Winds by all poffible Means, informs us (as we find it in the Philofophical Tranfactions Numb. 183.) that about the Coaft of Guinea he obferved many Calms and Tornado's, which are terrible Winds, that run round the whole Compass; and then he proceeds, Sect. 7. that between the fourth and tenth Degree of Northern Latitude, between Cape Virde and the Eastern Islands of the fame Name, there is a great Extent of the Sea, of which it might be faid, that there did not blow any, not even variable Winds at all; and that the Sea feemed to be condemned to a perpetual Calm, and was attended with dreadful Claps of Thunder and Flashes of Lightning, and great Storms of Rain. The Winds that are there did only deferve the Name of little uncertain Blafts, shifting hourly, and before they fhifted, becoming Calm; fo that feveral Ships before they could fail 6 Digrees, or about 120 Leagues, were obliged to Spend whole Months (Varenius, in hi Geography, Lib. I. cap. 21. §. 16. fays three at leaft) for want of a Wind.

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They that would be further informed of the Properties of thefe Winds, may meet with a great many Observations and Discourses concerning them in the Works of the Learned Lord Bacon, Varenius, Mariotte, and the fo called Sea-Charts or Atlas; particularly all that relates to Trade Winds and Monfoons, is very accurately defcribed by the faid Ingenious Dr. Halley, and may be found in the abovemention'd Philofophical Tranfa&t. Numb. 183. SECT. XXV. A Brief Description of the Said Winds.

To form a general Notion of this, let any one place before himself a Globe or Map of the World, and view that Zone that is contained between the Tropicks on each fide of the Equinoctial, as Dr. Halley has reprefented it; They call it the Torrid Zone, by reafon of the Heat. Here he will fee, that the Waters of the Great and General Ocean may be confider'd as divided into three Parts, by the Intervention of Lands: The firft is the Ethiopic and Atlantic Sea, between Africa and America; to the Eaftward there lies the Second or Indian-Sea, between Africa, the Indian Ilands, and New-Holland; the Third is the great South-Sea, or Mare Pacificum, extending itself from the Western Coafts of America along the other fide of the Globe quite to the Philippine Inlands.

Now according to the Obfervations of Dr. Halley and others, we find:

I. That between the Tropicks in the Atlantic and Ethiopic, as alfo throughout the whole South-Sea, there always blows an Eafterly Trade-Wind, which South of the Equator is fomething Southerly, and North thereof fomewhat Northerly.

II. That thefe Trade-Winds do not reach farther than to about 30 Degrees on both fides of the Equator.

III. That

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III. That however there continually blows a South-west Wind about the Coaft of Guinea upon the Land.

IV. That in the Southern Part of the IndianSea, the Wind blows always from the Eaft or thereabouts, with as much Certainty as in other Seas. So that a conftant Easterly Trade-Wind, and which furrounds the Globe, is found at all times in the Places before-mention'd.

V. But it is very wonderful, that on the Northfide of this faid Indian-Sea, the Winds which do one half of the Year blow continually from the East, as in other Seas, turn again the following half Year, and blow directly contrary from the Western Parts of the Heavens; and these are called the Monfoons. As for the other Particulars of those Winds, mention'd in the aforefaid Quotations, we fhall pafs them by.

SECT. XXVI. Tranfition to Experiments about the poffible Caufes of the Winds.

Ir will not then be neceffary for us to make a great fhew, as fome do, of the Knowledge we have either acquired our felves concerning these Winds, or have learned from other People: But it feems beft to adore the Great Dire&tor in his unfcrutable Ways and Works, as despairing ever to attain to Perfection herein. However, fince a great many things appear to be fufficiently known concerning the faid Winds (tho' it be very little in it felf, with refpect to the Importance of the Matter) to prove from thence the Wisdom and Power of the Creator; that we may not pass by all of them untouched, but furnish fome Opportunity to fuch as have any Inclination to make further Enquiries therein, we fhall briefly propose a few Experiments, which have been, and perhaps

may

may ftill be useful to many, either for a Foundation, or at least fome Direction in their Thoughts and Difcourfes about them.

SEC T. XXVII. The first Experiment touching the Contraction of the Space in which the Air is contained.

SINCE the Effence of the Winds confifts in a Motion or Protrufion of the Air from one place to another, it is certain, that whatever is capable to protrude the Air after fuch a manner, is likewife proper to cause a Wind. Accordingly we find;

I. That the Air may produce a Stream and a Wind when it is fhut up any where, and the Place containing it is render'd narrower; whereupon being preffed, it forces its way thro' all the Paffages it meets with, and thereby represents a Blast or Wind.

This we may fee when a Man blows with his Mouth, or preffes a pair of Bellows, or in the fudden fall of things that have any breadth in them, whereby they prefs the Air between them and the Ground, and driving it away on every fide, produce a fort of a Wind. This way of Generating a Wind was known to Hero Alexandrinus many Ages paft, by making of a hollow Veffel that was Air-tight, and had two Tubes, a great and a little one: Thro' the greater there runs Water with fome Swiftnefs into the Veffel or Cistern, which afcending in the fame, contracts the Space wherein the Air was contained, and fo forces the faid Air with a Blast thro' the narrow Tube, by which means little Flutes, Pipes of Organs, and Figures of Birds are made to yield a Sound? to fay nothing of blowing Fires, and even fmelting Metals in fome Places after the like manner.

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SECT. XXVIII. The Second Experiment with a hollow Globe or Eolipile.

II. SOME Philofophers (upon obferving the Experiments of heating a hollow Brafs Globe, having a little Orifice or Hole in it, and then throwing it into cold Water, to cause the Water to go into it, and afterwards making it hot again over a Fire, whereby the Vapours rufh out like a violent Wind) have thought that the Wind does not fo much confift in a Motion or Protrufion of the Air as in Watry-Vapours, which this Experiment of an Eolipile or Wind-Globe confirms; and have therefore endeavour'd to deduce all the Properties of the Wind for the moft part from fuch Experiments. But we shall not here enquire either into the Probability or Difficulties of their Hypothefis. [See the Figure of fuch an Æolipile, Tab. XXII. Fig. 3.]

SECT. XXIX. The Third Experiment. The moving of Solid Bodies through the Air.

III. ANOTHER manner of moving, or producing a Stream of Air, is by causing a Body to pass fwiftly thro' it; forafmuch as by that means the Air follows the faid Body with a great Velocity, and raises a Wind behind it.

To make a very eafie Trial thereof, one need only extend ones Hand, the Fingers being clofed, and swiftly strike upon the Air from one fide to the other; whereby one fhall be aware that the following Air fenfibly blows against the opening of the Hand, especially if you moiften the fame with a little Water, for then you will more fenfibly feel the fame.

But to give a visible Proof thereof, drop fome little round Bullets from any due Heighth into a Bucket

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