In treating of the climate of India, the monsoons first claim our attention. It is generally said that the monsoons do not extend beyond the tropics ; this, however, is not ac curately the fact, as will be afterwards noticed. At pre sent, however, we shall regard them as merely blowing on the coast of India, from Cape Comorin to the tropic, and point out their effects on the climate of this region. On the Malabar coast, the south-west monsoon commences about the middle of April, and continues till the months of August or September ; it begins to blow first on the south ern parts of this coast, and gradually advances to the north. In September it has generally lost its violence ; and for the next six weeks there are light variable Avinds. At the latter end of October the north-east monsoon begins on this coast ; this also blows fast in the south, and about 15 days afterwards is felt on the northern parts of the coast : this monsoon continues till April. On the Coromandel coast the south-west monsoon begins about the end of March or early in April ; but it is not regular or strong till the month of June,land and sea breezes being not uncommon in March, April, and May. In June, July, and August, this monsoon is very steady, regular, and strong, but even during these months, a land or west wind blows from the shores for 2.1 or 48 hours. In August and September the south-west monsoon begins to lose its steadiness and violence ; and the north-east monsoon commences about the middle of Octo ber; from this period till the beginning of December it is very boisterous, and navigation is rendered extremely dan gerous ; but in December, January, and February, it is steady well settled weather. On both coasts, the setting in of the monsoons is generally attended by violent hurri canes.
Such is a short description of the monsoons as they ap pear on the western and eastern coasts of India ; but be lore we proceed to point out their effects on the climate7 it will be proper to advert to the circumstance of their ex tending beyond the tropics. This is decidedly the case at Tatta, which lies in 24° 44'. The monsoon, however, does not reach Corachie in latitude 24° 51'. There are indeed at this place, as well as along the coast of Mekran, from April to October, south-west and West winds ; but, as they often veer round to the north and north-west, they cannot be regarded as monsoons, especially as they are seldom attended with squalls and rain,—the invariable marks of the south-west monsoon on the coast of 'Malabar.
The climate of that part of India (as far as respects rain) in which the monsoons prevail, and the Ghauts are situat ed, is uncommonly regular. It will easily be conceived, that when the south-west monsoon prevails on the coast of Malabar, this coast will he deluged with rain, in conse quence of the Western Ghauts intercepting the clouds brought by this monsoon ; and that the same monsoon, on the Coromandel coast, will occasion dry weather: while, on the latter coast, the rainy season will be occasioned by the north-east monsoon, which dashes the clouds, sur charged with moistae, against the Eastern Ghauts. On the Malabar coast, on the contrary, this monsoon will oc. casion dry weather. Hence it appears, that the rainy sea son on the Coromandel coast must commence with the north-east monsoon, about the middle of October, while at that time the dry weather begins on the coast of Malabar ; t and that the rainy season on the Malabar coast must be gin in April or May, the period of the commencement of the dry season on the Coromandel coast. I he rains on this coast are not, however, so violent as those on the Ma labar coast. This seems to arise from the circumstance, that the Eastern Ghauts are farther from the sea than the 'Western ; and. consequently, the clouds are not so soon broken, and have also a greater space over which they can spread themselves before they arc broken. It is not im probable, too, that the greater height of the Western Ghauts may intercept a larger portion of the clouds than the Eastern, and break those which it does intercept more completely. As the 'Western Ghauts extend no farther
than the latitude of Surat, the south-west monsoon, to the north of this latitude, as far as it blows, carries the rain without interruption over the whole country. We have already mentioned the bleak in these Ghauts near Paniany. In consequence of this break affording a passage to the north-east monsoon from the Coromandel coast, ships which navigate the Malabar coast commonly experience a stronger gale in the neighbourhood of Paniany than on any other part of this coast. The lower part of the pro vince of Coimbetoor partakes of the rainy monsoon of the Malabar coast, which is probably occasioned by the same break permitting the south-west winds to blow through the Ghauts in this part.
The south-west monsoon blowing so long, and part of the time with such violence, forces a great body into the Gulph of Bengal ; and, during its prevalence, the surf on the Coromandel coast is very tremendous. The north east winds continue this surf, by impelling the waves on the shore, which is very steep, having, as was before oh served, no soundings at the distance of thirty miles. As soon, however, as the north-east monsoon begins to abate, that is, in December and January, and the south-west cur rent, which prevails in the Bay of Bengal, can operate, the surf on the Coromandel coast is by no means high or dan gerous.
Having thus briefly explained the monsoons and their effects in tile southern part of India, we shall now make some observations on the climate, as it respects wind, rain, and heat, in other parts of this country. In that part of Bengal which lies near the head of the bay, the wind blows alternately ft om north and south, during unequal portions of the year. The northerly wind prevails during the cold season, that is, during October, November, and Decem ber ; and the southerly one during the hot, that is, from March to the end of May. In the eastern parts of Bengal, a north- wcst Mind begins about the middle of March. During the prevalence of this wind, there are sudden and violin squalls of wind and main, which are often vciv de structive to the boats on the Ganges. These squalls are mute frequent in the eastern than in the western pales of Bengal. The most settled weather is bem een the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the north west wind. The seasons in Bengal are generally divided into cold, hot, and dry ; but the natives are more minute in their divi sions, assigning six seasons to the year. The spring and dry season occupy lour months, that is, February, March, April, and May. The periodical rains commence nearly at the same time over the whole of this part of Hindostan, that is, in the beginning of June. During the fimst two months there is scarcely an interval of two dry days; and the rain falls it) such abundance, that four and five inches have fallen in the course of a single day. In Au gust and September the intervals arc more frequent and of longer duration, and the weather becomes sultry. As the cold season approaches, fogs and dew s are very corn :non and dense. This description of the climate of the province of Bengal will apply, in almost every particu lar, to the climate of the whole of Hindostan Proper, except that in the mountainous parts the rainy season begins early in April. In Bahar also, and the contigu ous dislikes, a strong parching wind blows from the west during the greatest part of the hot season,: but it is not steady, nor very regular ; for it sometimes ceases alto gether, and is succeeded for a few days by an easterly wind ; and even after a parching wind front the west in the day time, a cool easterly breeze will set in at night. To the west of this province these parching winds are more frequent, as well as more oppressive and prejudicial to vegetation.