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storms that have occurred in these Islands within the records of 

 history would take up far too much of our time at present. I 

 shall content myself therefore wdth a very general statement 

 I'especting them, particularising only in a few special cases, or 

 where there is direct reference to Bath and its neighbourhood, 



I may first observe, looking over the above Registers, that very 

 few years occur in which there are not one or more gales more or 

 less violent and causing more or less damage. In the entry of 

 these gales there is often appended a remark of this kind, " most 

 tempestuous," "perfect hurricane," "terrific hurricane," "storm 

 of wind and rain almost unprecedented in Bath." In one instance 

 the gale is said to have been " described by old sailors as one of 

 the most fearful they had ever witnessed." 



These expressions tell plainly in what light and with what 

 feelings the gales were regarded by those who Avitnessed their 

 effects, and when we connect such remarks ^vith long paragraphs 

 extracted from the papers of the day that often accompany them, in 

 which the violence of the storm is dwelt on at great length, Avith 

 full details of the damage it had done in different parts of the 

 country, one can hardly think there is much difference on the 

 whole between the gales of one term of years and those of another 

 term of years. At the same time it is undoubtedly true that 

 some years are more exempt from gales than others, probably 

 from causes that will be spoken of further on. Thus it has been 

 stated that " few gales of remarkable force and duration occurred 

 during 1870, whereas those that occurred between 1871 and 1875-6 

 were very numerous and destructive." 



It may be remarked further that the same gale is often much 

 more violent and destructive in some places than in others. 

 This was the case with the gale of October last, which appears to 

 have been more violent further west than at Bath. At Torquay, 

 houses were unroofed and plate-glass windows broken in. At 

 Haverford West "a neAV roof just slated and firmly nailed doAvn, 

 was forcibly lifted entire and carried fifty yards, and it came 



