Redfield's Theory of Storms* 103 



east to south-east would undergo an intermediate deviation, 

 but necessarily of an opposite nature, since for the same rea- 

 son that at one there would be first more northing and then 

 more westing, at the other there would be more easting and 

 more southing, pari passu. But on the outward north-eastern 

 and north-western limbs, or in other words, on the right and 

 on the left external borders, there would be no change. On 

 the one it would blow from the north-west only, on the other 

 only from the south-east. On this last-mentioned limb the 

 blast would be pre-eminent in violence, since in that direction 

 the gyrative and progressive motion of the whirlwind would 

 concur. 



91. Nevertheless, agreeably to the observations which have 

 lifted the whirlwind theory above the reach of my strictures, 

 hurricanes in the West Indies begin (at every place) from a 

 northern quarter, and changing first west, and afterwards to a 

 southern quarter, terminate their fury. Thus, agreeably to the 

 evidence of Mr. Redfield, the fury of the hurricane is the least 

 where, according to his hypothesis, it should be the greatest. 



92. Having cited and endeavoured to show the futility of 

 the only explanation which can be' found in Mr. Redfield's 

 essays of the mode in which whirlwinds are induced, I will 

 quote a passage from which it would seem that they are sup- 

 posed capable of being self-induced. Whence it would follow, 

 that without any extraneous aid, his "rotary movement, which 

 is the sole cause of destructive winds and tempests," could 

 spontaneously excite itself and the adjoining elements into a 

 destructive commotion. From this statement, it appears that 

 the author was not aware that in making it he gave a blow to 

 his favourite idea of opposing and unequal forces, arising from 

 gravitation and terrestrial motion, being the cause of stormy 

 atmospheric gyration. 



93. " We may observe, also, that whirlwinds and spouts 

 appear to commence gradually and to acquire their full ac- 

 tivity without the aid of any foreign causes; and it is well 

 known they are most frequent in those calm regions where 

 apparently there are no active currents to meet each other, 

 and they are least frequent where currents are in full activity." 

 (Silliman's Journal, vol. xxxiii. p. 61.) 



94. Treating of whirlwinds excited by fire, the author thus 

 expresses himself: — " The foregoing results can only be ex- 

 plained by a violent vortical action steadily maintained. * * * 

 The ascending power of the vortical column or whirlwind is 

 strongly exhibited. * * * But the spire of a columnar vortex 

 exhibits a penetrating and ascending power which far exceeds, 

 both in its intensity and the extent of its action, any other as- 



