46 REPORT—1848. 
p.m.—this, as already stated, being marked by a sudden jump of no less.than eight ~ 
hundredth parts of an inch above what was due. The epoch of morning minimum, 
again, was two o’clock, or two hours earlier than usual, the interval having been 
this much shortened. The return does not afford the morning maximum of the 7th, 
but the mercury continued steady till nearly nine o’clock, and would probably reach 
its turning-point at ten, giving an interval of no less than eight hours of time. The 
range betwixt the evening minimum and maximum on the 6th was ‘219, or, if we 
subtract ‘080 for the jump, *139,—a high range for the season. At ten o’clock the 
air was saturated with moisture, the wet-bulb standing ‘7 higher than the dry, the 
latter having in two hours’ time tumbled down from 79° to 69°, and in the course of — 
the ten hours having had a range of no less than 20°—a very unusual circumstance — 
in Bombay. From the rise of the barometer, it was inferred at the observatory that - 
a storm was raging on the mainland somewhere to the E.N.K. of us. 
Just after the — 
gale had ceased, the magnetic instruments began to be disturbed, and this is the third . 
time the same thing has happened at the observatory on the back of a storm within little — 
more than two years—on the 4th of December 1845, and in April 1847 and 1848. 
On the first-named of these days there was a magnificent display of Aurora in the 
northern sky, and a great magnetic disturbance all over the world ; on the last two 
occasions just named we have seen no account of any irregularities anywhere but at 
Bombay. Now that it has occurred so frequently as to call attention and forbid the 
idea of the coincidence being accidental, it will be interesting to learn from other ob- 
servatories what has occurred, and to watch with extreme care whether these things 
always occur coincidently, or whether there are local laws at work here to stir the 
magnets after a storm at certain seasons only. The first notice of the subject we 
remember is that published by Mr. Orlebar in the Bombay Courier of December 
1845; for the three preceding years the magnetometers were in general remarkable 
for their steadiness during tempests. On the evening of the 6th we had streams of 
electric fluid rushing like a handful of beads in rapid torrents to the ground; this 
beautiful and sublime appearance, only witnessed when the thunder-clouds are near 
us, has been frequently before described. 
*« Since writing the above we have been favoured with the following notice of the 
state of the weather at Nassick on the 6th and 7th. From this it will be seen that 
the conjecture of a storm having occurred to the north-eastward of us about sunset 
proves correct. It is unfortunate that Dr. Stuart should not have been possessed of 
a barometer or any other means of measuring pressure, or we should in this case 
have been able to trace the analogies or anomalies existing at the two localities. 
Nearly all the phenomena observable at Bombay betwixt nine and twelve were ob- 
served at Nassick betwixt five and eight, or with a regular interval of four hours. 
The following will show with what exactness these things may be made out :— 
Nassick. 
64 p.M.—Strong breeze from S.E. 
This soon became a perfect hurricane, 
and so continued a little more than half. 
an hour, when it suddenly abated. It 
was accompanied by heavy rain and some 
Bombay. 
“©9 p.m.—Gale of wind came on from 
N.E. Lasted about twenty minutes. At 
ten wind bore due north. Thunder, 
lightning and rain continued till two a.m. 
Wind had veered round from 
S.E. to 
hail; vivid flashes of lightning speedily 8.S.E. : 
followed, with crashing peels of thun- 
der, till three o’clock a.m., when the 
breeze again freshened from S.E. 
“The storm at Nassick was in reality in the sky seen at sunset from Bombay, 
though it did not reach us till four hours afterwards. The duration of this irregular 
state of things leads to the inference that atmospheric disturbances must have 
stretched far into the interior. The Nassick storm moved towards Bombay at the 
rate of twenty-four miles an hour.” 
Dr. Buist concludes by observing, ‘ at present the irregularities of the weather at 
this usually regular and tranquil season of the year are so remarkable as to deserve 
every attention from the meteorologist.” He then adds the letter giving an account 
of the storm at Nassick on the first eight days in April. 
Subsequently to this storm, the Bombay papers of the 19th of June speak of an 
earthquake which extended over 10° of latitude and as many of longitude, having 
a 
_ 
