Dr. Rigby's Observations on Waterspouts. 211 



siderably in length. By this time a second spout had formed 

 at no great distance from the first, and so instantaneously that 

 I did not notice its commencement, although having my at- 

 tention at the moment directed to its immediate vicinity; the 

 connection of this with the surface of the sea, although visible, 

 was by no means so distinct as in the first instance. 



During this time the wind had been rapidly shifting back- 

 wards and forwards from one quarter of the vessel to the other; 

 some nimbus clouds suddenly formed overhead and on the 

 opposite side, and saluted us with a profuse torrent of rain, 

 unaccompanied however by gusts or lightning. The spouts 

 on the starboard side had now gradually shortened and dis- 

 appeared, and a very long taper one formed at no great di- 

 stance from the other side of the vessel. From its closer vicinity 

 it seemed to be much higher than the others, indeed so much 

 so, that at a guess I should say it did not form less than an 

 angle of 70° with the horizon. Even its lower extremity re- 

 mained at a considerable distance from the water, and its rapid 

 alterations in form and length were very remarkable. At one 

 moment it had lost nearly half its length, at the next it had 

 nearly doubled it, while at the same time its curves and con- 

 tortions varied every instant. 



That these phaenomena are the results of violent vortices in 

 the air, depending probably in great measure on irregular and 

 conflicting currents, arising from very unequal states of atmo- 

 spheric electricity, is now, I presume, a pretty well-ascertained 

 fact. In slight cases, like the one which I have now described, 

 the water in a state of finely divided particles, like rain or even 

 mist, is blown up into the air by the whirlwind, and is thus 

 made to form a continuous line or column with the depending 

 portion of cloud, which has been elongated from the mass 

 above by the same vortex-like movement. 



It may be easily imagined that in the more violent forms of 

 these atmospheric phaenomena, which occur in tropical cli- 

 mates, the surface of the sea may not only be raised in the 

 form of watery vapour and foam, but that a considerable 

 portion of water may be carried up bodily to a considerable 

 height by the force of the whirlwind, and be again precipitated 

 by its own accumulation and weight. 



The concussion of the air produced by the discharge of 

 heavy artillery in the immediate neighbourhood of these phae- 

 nomena can readily be supposed to produce a sudden arrest 

 in the whirling motion of the air, and to be followed by an 

 immediate descent of the water which had thus been raised. 



23 New Street, Spring Gardens, ^ ^™» ^^'J _ 



July 23, 1844. EdwaRD RiGBY. 



P2 



