Sleep. When the sun withdraws his beams, and the intense heat of the atmosphere is mitigated, we might expect a comfortable interval of reposebut this would be a vain hope. A new host of foes instantly appear in arms to annoy us! Mosquitoes, ants, and cock-roaches, lead on the insect tribes-the bat wheels in aerial circuits over our heads, on which he sometimes condescends to alight, without ceremony-while the snake patrols about, in the purlieus of our apartment; coils himself up under our beds, or even deigns to become our bedfellow, without waiting the formality of an invitation!* The great object of a European is to sleep cool. This enables him to procure more rest than he otherwise could do; and, by giving his frame a respite, as it were, from the great stimulus of heat, imparts to it a tone and vigour or, as Dr. Darwin would say, "an accumulation of excitability," so necessary to meet the exhaustion of the ensuing day, as well as to repair that of the preceding. A great waste of strength-indeed, of life, arises from our inability, on many accounts, to obtain this cool repose at night. Thus, rains, heavy dews, or exhalations from contiguous marshes, woods or jungles, often render it unsafe * Many instances have occurred of snakes being found coiled away between children in bed. It is said, that if a chaffing-dish, filled with clear, live embers, be quietly placed on the floor of a room, in such emergencies, the reptiles will repair to it; especially if some new milk be also left near the chaffing dish. Great presence of mind is here necessary, in order not to disturb those dangerous creatures suddenly in their retreat. Tropical Hygiene. or impossible to sleep in the open air; a practice fraught with the most beneficial consequences, where the abovementioned obstacles do not prevent its execution. But, pending the hot and dry season in Bengal, and almost always on the Coromandel coast, except during the hot land-winds, or at the change of the monsoons, we may indulge, not only with safety, but with infinite advantage, in the seemingly dangerous luxury of sleeping abroad in the open air. I am well aware of the prejudices entertained against this custom, by great numbers, both in and out of the profession; but I am convinced, from personal experience and observation, that the practice, under the specified restrictions, is highly salutary, and I know it is sanctioned. by some of the best-informed veterans, who have spent most part of their lives between the tropics. Speaking on this subject, the judicious Captain Williamson remarks that-" few, very few instances could be adduced, of any serious indisposition having attended it; while, on the other hand, it is confessed by all who have adopted it, that the greatest refreshment has ever resulted; enabling them to rise early, divested of that most distressing lassitude, attendant upon sleeping in an apartment absolutely communicating a febrile sensation, and peculiarly oppressive to the lungs."-East-India Vade-Mecum. If it be observed, that I have all along held up to view the danger of atmospherical vicissitudes, to which this practice would apparently expose us; I answer, that I have also maintained, that early habituation to these was the Sleep. surest preservative against their injurious effects, as exemplified in the use of the bath. The truth is, however, that while the custom of sleeping in the open air steels the human frame against these same effects, it is, in reality, attended with less exposure to sudden atmospherical transitions than the opposite plan. Nature is ever indulgent when we observe her ways, and obey her dictates. Excepting the periods and places alluded to, the transition, in the open air, from the scorching heat of the day to the cool serenity of night, is gradual and easy. To this the human frame bends with safety, and we sink into a grateful and sound sleep, that renovates every corporeal and mental faculty. Whereas, those who exclude themselves from the breath of heaven, whether from necessity or inclination, become languid, from the continued operation of heat, and the want of repose; in consequence of which, the slightest aerial vicissitude (either from leaving their couch, or admitting a partial current of cool air, which they are often compelled to do) unhinges the tenor of their health, and deranges the functions of important organs! These are they, who require the afternoon siesta, and to whom, indeed, it is necessary, on account of the abridged refreshment and sleep of the night; while the others are able to go through the avocations of the day, without any such substitute-a great and manifest advantage! The nerves so temper'd never quit their tone→→ Indigenous custom is, generally speaking, in fayour of sleeping in the open air, during the hot Tropical Hygiene seasons, in most Eastern countries. The practice, indeed, is less adopted in Bengal, for very obvious reasons, than on the Coromandel coast; but the Native sleeps much cooler, at all times, than the European, from this circumstance that his bed seldom consists of more than a mat, while a piece of calico wrapped round him, supplies the place of bed-clothes. The more closely we imitate these, the better will it be for us. Indeed, a thin hair mattress, with a sheet and palampore, are the only requisites, independently of the thin gauze or mosquito curtains, which defend us from insects, and, when we sleep out on the chabootah, arrest any particles of moisture that may be floating in the atmosphere. Early hours are here indispensible. The fashionable nocturnal dissipation of Europe would soon cut the thread of our existence between the tropics. The order of Nature is never inverted with impunity, in the most temperate climates; beneath the torrid zone, it is certain destruction. The hour of retirement to repose should never be protracted beyond ten o'clock; and, "Soon as Aurora, daughter of the dawn, With roseate light impearls the dewey lawn," we should start from our couch, to enjoy the cool, the fragrant, and salubrious breath of morn. The Passions. THE PASSIONS. SEC. 7-I HAVE not alluded to the conduct of the Passions, because most of the precepts that apply to the regulation of them in cold climates, will be equally applicable here. But I may be permitted to correct an erroneous, (I think) though very general opinion, that there is something peculiar in a tropical climate, which excites certain passions in a higher degree, than in temperate regions. "There is," says Dr. Moseley," "in the inhabitants of hot climates, uuless present sickness has an absolute control over the body, a promptitude and bias to pleasure, and an alienation from serious thought and deep reflection. The brilliancy of the skies, and the beauty of the atmosphere, conspire to influence the nerves against philosophy and her frigid tenets, and forbid their practice among the children of the sun."-p. 87. This is a very superficial, and a very false view of the affair. It is likewise a very immoral one; for it furnishes the dissolute libertine with a physical excuse for his debaucheries, when the real source may be traced to relaxation of religious and moral principles! I would ask Dr. Moseley to explain the reason why, if the "promptitude to pleasure be increased in a hot climate, the ability to pursue |