42 REPORT—1848. 
tities of snow, tiles, slates, &c. They were like inverted cones of vapour,—revolved 
swiftly on their axes, and coursed along at the rate of 20 miles an hour. Rotatory 
whirlwinds in the midst of winter, which are only seen in tropical climates in the 
most intensely hot weather, seem remarkable phenomena. Amongst the other phy- 
sical phenomena in accord with the tumults amongst men, was that of the eruption 
of Vesuvius, which during my stay in Naples the last days of March and beginning 
of April in the present year, was pouring out four fiery streams of lava amidst ex- 
plosions. : 
But meteorological anomalies were not confined to Europe; and if we look to 
the records of India for the last year, we shall find that observers have had equal 
cause for surprise and comment. 
“Tuesday, February 16.—From the Bombay papers it appears that they have 
actually had ice at Poona.”—From Bengal Hurkaru. ; 
This was almost a miracle, for such a circumstance had never been recorded 
before. 
“The cold weather, which so suddenly and unexpectedly returned upon us, has 
now taken what we may consider its final departure for the season.”—Calcutta 
Hurkaru, Feb. 18, 1847. : . 
“There had been a very severe storm in the northern hills—at, Simla snow lay 
three feet deep and all the high grounds about the Dehra Dhoon were covered.” — 
Bombay Times, May 2, 1847. 
From the Deccan the accounts, on the 22nd of February, 1847, state,—" We have 
had rain all over the Deccan from the south-east, strange at this season; the rain 
was also heavy and continuous, quite monsoon weather.” 
On the 15th of November, 1847, the editor of the Bombay Times, Dr. Buist, a 
distinguished meteorologist, has the following remarks in his paper respecting the 
great anomaly of a large fall of rain in November, a month of the.dry season :— 
«© November has opened as if another monsoon were just commencing. On Sa- 
turday and Sunday the thermometer rose on the Esplanade as high as 90°; in the 
coolest and most airy buildings in Colaba it stood at 87° ; the wind dry and blowing 
strong till past noon from the north-east. On Sunday evening there was some 
thunder and a few drops of rain, and on Monday a stiff breeze blew about sunset 
from nearly east, and the sky looked most threatening. All yesterday it was close, 
hot and muggy, a slight shower having fallen in the morning—thermometer 85°, 
the barometer slightly down.”—Bombay Times, Nov. 3. ; 
«* We mentioned in our last that we had had some thunder with a threatening of 
November showers: they have come in greater abundance than was expected. 
About midnight on Tuesday a very heavy fall of rain commenced and continued for 
a couple of hours, and all over the morning it looked thick and lowering. Little 
rain fell next night, but there were showers over the morning, and betwixt one and 
three on Thursday it rained heavily, and continued cloudy all the afternoon and 
evening. About ten o’clock a thick close rain commenced, with a bleak north-east 
wind: both have continued ever since. Yesterday was more like the middle of the 
monsoon than a day in clear and dry November. The thermometer, which on Sunday 
stood at from 85° to 90°, has all at once plumped down to betwixt 70° and 75°— 
a change great and sudden enough to be very unpleasant to the feelings. More than 
3 inches of rain fell. The barometer has allthis while stood high, and made no sign! 
The rains appear to have been general all along and below the Ghauts : the Maha- 
buleshwar range seems to have suffered severely. We have just heard of much 
mischief having been occasioned to the unstacked rice all over the island, and the 
damage must be general wherever grain crops are still in the field: all the low 
grounds are flooded, and the dry channels running torrents. 
Fall of rain in the Fort during November. in. 
Up to 6 p.m. Ist Nov. ..cccccccecerecscrseecees uegeaset< dene worse O'OO 
Ae PeRAH Lore ae. hates gandase ses sae peCERTeaneaasns Jad vassawne 0:00 
” ” 3rd 2 eee eeeresens Poorer eeeeaseee Pre eeereroeeseeers 0°65 
Go Ee ce, Se ee oat Se mene seoened LeU 
2? ” 5th » CHET HORE HE HEHE EO HEAP ERO HORSE EEE eeereteRee® 2°87 
—Ibid. Nov. 6. 55a" 
