480 METEOROLOGY. 



ship having lost her starboard bulwarks, shipped a tremendous quantity of water, 

 which flooded her decks; this and the tiller carr3'ing away, herlielm sliifted 

 thereby over to starboard, and made the vessel pay off before the wind ; with 

 the greatest difficulty a new tiller was shipped, and the vessel again was kept 

 up to the eastward. In the storm chart it will be seen that the vessel, during 

 this night, was nearest to the vortex. On the following day, the 8th, the storm 

 having passed the vessel, no material danger threatened us longer; the barom- 

 eter still kept unusually high, and the whole day the sky wore an unusually 

 bright appearance ; the air likewise was charged with a great amount of elec- 

 tricity ; incessant thunder and lightning were the consequences. In the afternoon 

 it was calm, but the sea still ran high, which made the vessel labor heavily; 

 barometer at 30.14, the thermometer 74.5 Fahrenheit. At 6 p. m. a heavy rain 

 smoothed the sea down, and the vessel, after having undergone the necessary 

 repairs, steamed towards her destination. 



But before I conclude this description I can hardly omit a word about the 

 origin of cyclones. It appears to me that a simply flattened spiral stream of 

 electric fluid generates above, and expanding in a broad disk, maj^ amply account 

 for the commencement of a cyclone. By its descending to the surface of the 

 earth, and that likewise its onward motion, in such a direction as the law of 

 force and gravity drives it, may simply account for its continuance, and the 

 oppression and exhaustion of its force for its termination. The unequal motion 

 is naturallv the consequence of one side of- the disk being more flattened, and 

 causing the cyclone to advance more rapidly ; the descent or settling down of the 

 cyclones has in numerous cases been proved ; the appearance of the vortexes of 

 violent tornadoes within the body of great storms is not unfrequent or fiew. 



A curious phenomenon was the brightness of the sky at sunset on the 7th of 

 January. The whole horizon became suddenly suffused with a bright scarlet 

 color ; I do not remember ever it happening before, and even the verj^ zenith and 

 all the horizon round was affected by it. All these signs combined were strong 

 proofs of a cyclone, and the management of the ship should have been acted upon 

 accordingly. Commanders and officers of men-of-war should strictly consider 

 the competence of junior officers before intrusting them with .% watch, whether or 

 not they are able to take charge of one, as courage and daring have during the 

 late war elevated many a pfirson to a position which is far above his experience. 

 Courage and daring are in war two main virtues, and most desirable, but expe- 

 rience and cool judgment in peaceful times, and (luring the raging of a tempest, 

 are the most wished-for qualities in an officer, whether in the merchant service 

 or navy. 



But still, looking calmly on the past dangers, I cannot omit to render, next to 

 God, to the commander and to some of the officers and crew of the Monocacy 

 my thanks for a safe delivery out of one of those terrible cyclones that occm' in 

 the South Indian ocean. 



