| Description | Forrest's treatise in seven short chapters discusses the monsoons in the East Indies. Forrest writes about the causes of the monsoons and how to successfully navigate ships during the monsoons between various destinations in the East Indies, including Sumatra [Indonesia], Madras [Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India], Bengal [modern day Bangladesh and West Bengal, India], Bencoolen [Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia], and Batavia [Jakarta, Indonesia].
The chapter titles are as follows:
Chapter 1 'Of the Monsoons in the East Indies'
Chapter 2 'Of the Causes of the Monsoons in India; their Analogy to what we find in the Atlantic; and how they coincide with, or oppose, the Trade Winds'
Chapter 3 'Of the Middle Monsoon'
Chapter 4 'Of the most eligible Track to keep from Europe to East India'
Chapter 5 'Of the Monsoons on the S.W. Coast of the Island Sumatra'
Chapter 6 'Of the proper track to keep in going from Madrass or Bengal, to Bencoolen, Batavia, or parts further East during (winter) the N.E. Monsoon'
Chapter 7 'Of the best Track to keep from Madrass, or Bengall, to Bencoolen during the S.W. Monsoon'
A pencil inscription top right of first page reads 'no date' and and ink inscription bottom right of first page reads 'from Capt. Forrest'. Minor pencil emendations appear throughout.
Subject: Meteorology / Navigation
This paper was published as a pamphlet in 1783: Forrest, Thomas. 'A treatise on the monsoons in East-India'. Printed by J Robson, New Bond-Street, 1783. |