Report by the Central Board of Health of Jamaica / presented to the legislature under the provisions of the 14th Vic. chap. 60, and printed by order of the Assembly.

  • Jamaica. Central Board of Health
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report by the Central Board of Health of Jamaica / presented to the legislature under the provisions of the 14th Vic. chap. 60, and printed by order of the Assembly. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    to the westward, until it is succeeded or overpowered in the evening at a varying hour, by a rush of cool air from the mountains, which blows towards the low- lands in every direction ; this is termed the land wind, and extends only a limited distance from the shore. The causes and sources of the trade winds are now imderstood. The sea breeze seldom blows direct east, but from a point to the north or southward of that quarter, tlie former is properly considered the prevailing and trade wind, and is that which proves the most re- freshing to the inhabitants. When it blows from the southward of east, it is often a forerunner of rain, ouins: to the situation of the island, which does not lie directly east and west: the tratle wind is inter- rupted in its regular coarse by the eastern extremity, which, by lying to the southward of east, occasions tlie inhabitants on the south side to receive the breeze immediately from the southward, though its natural course is from the northward of east. The wind from the nortii east in Kingston or Spanish-Town, is usu- ally a partial land wind, conveying an increased heat, and is generally considered unhcaltliy ; it is well known to the inhabitants by the name of rock Avind. The land breeze depends upon the air over the sea at night, becoming warmer and more rarified, than that on the. land, where radiation is still going on.— Jn consequence, the cold heavy air rushes down to supply the place of the hot and lighter air which de- scends. This only holds true of the mountamous is- lands ; in other or flat islands, the sea l)reeze conti- nues to blow all night, although much diminished in force, but there is no a]:)preciable land breeze. These breezes, however, vary nnich—thus some- times the sea breeze does not set in at all, or not till lery late ; sometimes it continues to blow all nighl, instead of the land lu-eeze. The temperature of the atmospiiere of cfuirse will yary according to the situation and elevation of the