prevalent Disorders, Sfc. 9 with Volcanic Emanations. 137 



clear till the last shock, 7 a.m., when it became overcast, and 

 the mountains were covered to their bases with lurid clouds. 

 At 10 a.m., there fell tremendous torrents of rain, with light- 

 ning and thunder all day. At 9 r.M., the thunder and light- 

 ning were redoubled ; the streets were like rivers ; and next 

 day the country was under water for miles, boats floating 

 over the fields. These effects accompany volcanic eruptions, 

 and illustrate the connection of them with earthquakes. On 

 the 10th, commenced a series of gales which traversed all 

 Europe till the 3 1st, and raged with almost unexampled fury. 

 From the 16th to the 18th*, no less than fifty-six vessels 

 were wrecked in Holland and off the east coast of England ; 

 the decrease in temperature producing ice, on the 18th, near 

 London. On the former day, Ostend was exposed to the 

 fury of the wind ; while at the same time occurred a tre- 

 mendous gale in the Gulf of Mexico, the Swallow packet 

 being dismasted six leagues north of Vera Cruz ; and several 

 other ships being capsized, and greatly injured. A similar 

 gale occurred there on Oct. 20. 1833. On Oct. 14. occurred 

 a terrible hurricane at Laguna, on the coast of Brazil (28° 

 30' s. 49° 30' w.). which affords a singular corroboration of 

 what 1 have observed above (p. 135.) respecting the hurricanes 

 of Sept. 20 — 25. ; for as the Rio de la Plata was visited by 

 the gale two days after the hurricane in the West Indies, so 

 Laguna was visited two days before that of Vera Cruz. On 

 Oct. 15. a shock of earthquake occurred at Cracow (7 h. 20 m. 

 a. m.), and two severer shocks at Lemberg, in Gallicia, at 

 7 h. 30' the same morning. Contemporaneously, therefore, 

 with these gales the earth was agitated. . 



The derangements of the air at this time were extreme. 

 Whether or not the gale in the Gulf of Mexico induced a 

 current from Europe, it would seem that something of the 

 kind occurred ; for, from a communication received from 

 Captain Sullivan, R.N., I find that H.M.S. Pluto was in lat. 

 35° 55' n., long. 37° 16' w., on Oct. 18.; that, from Oct. 1. 

 to 18., she had steady breezes from n.e. ; but, on the 18th, 

 the wind suddenly shifted to the north, blowing violently, with 

 a heavy sea, for three days, when it became calm for a few 

 hours ; after which the whole of it returned from s.w., blow- 

 ing, on the 21st, a very heavy gale, with an extremely high 

 cross sea, in lat. 35° 32' n., long. 34° 49' w. Leghorn and 

 Lisbon had a tremendous gale on the 22d, which travelled 



* On Oct. 17., Montreal was visited by unusual darkness, with heavy 

 rain, which deposited a black dust ; supposed, by some, to be the effects of 

 fires in the woods, the smoke being beat down and carried onwards with 

 the rain. 



