380 Mr Lawson on tJie Trade- Winds of Barbadoes. 



the upper portion of the trade, and tlie NW. current, would 

 have acquired a great velocity long before the air in contact 

 w^ith the ground became sensibly affected. 



73. Referring, now, to the description of the hurricane 

 given above, it will be immediately remarked, that on the 

 morning of the 10th August 1831, the weather was remark- 

 ably fine, with a gentle breeze, which died away by 10 A.M. 

 From 10 to mid-day calms prevailed, with occasional flaws, 

 such as are usual in that climate, towards noon, w^hen the 

 air is still. At noon the thermometer was 87°, and at 2 p.m. 

 88°, with " uncommonly sultry and oppressive" weather, 

 still indicating the persistence of calm in the lower regions 

 of the atmosphere. The temperature fell to 86° at 4 P. M. 

 From 5 to 6 the clouds seemed gathering densely from the 

 north, and the sky became generally overcast, while, be- 

 neath, the calm continued, though interrupted occasionally 

 by flaws. 



74. '' From 6 to 7 the weather was fair, and the wind 

 moderate, with occasional slight puffs from the north ; the 

 lower and principal stratum of clouds passing fleetly towards 

 the south, higher strata or scud flying rapidly to various points^ 

 By 6 P. M. the tide in the atmosphere, produced by the moon's 

 attraction, (72), had had about 3^ hours to become deve- 

 loped, and the currents thereby induced are indicated in the 

 above passage with a clearness that admits of no doubt. 



75. From 7 to 9 the sky was clear and the air calm. From 

 9i^ to 10^ P. M., the wind was north, with slight showers. 

 From 10 1 p.m. until midnight, there were " squalls of wind 

 and rain from the north- north-east, with intermediate calms 

 succeeding each other f^ the thermometer during the calms 

 stood as high as 86°, and at other times varied from 83° to 

 85°. During these squalls, houses were levelled, while a 

 mile off the weather was not considered unusually boister- 

 ous. Here it is to be observed that the wind first came from 

 the north (56) ; that heavy gusts were afterwards felt from 

 north-north-east, during which the thermometer fell consi- 

 derably, thereby shewing that the air forming these gusts 

 came from a considerable elevation ; and also, that previous 



