368 Scientific Intelligence. — Meteorology. 



mendously. And now, add the wild uproar of the elements, 

 " the noise of many waters," the deep and constant roar of the 

 winds, the cries of men aloft, the heavy and rapid tread of 

 those below, the reiterated orders of officers, and the sounds of 

 the trumpet rising above all ; and then, add to this the heavy 

 rolling of thunder, at times drowning all these sounds. The 

 first lieutenant had the deck ; he had sprung to it at the first 

 alarm, and seizing the trumpet had called for Black, his 

 favourite helmsman. The ship was soon under snug sail, and 

 now dashed forwards at a furious rate, giving to the gale a yet 

 wilder character. All at once a rocky island seemed to start up 

 from the waters — but the next broad flash shewed a good off- 

 ing, and we were safe ; when suddenly came a loud shout from 

 the forecastle, " A sail on the starboard bow," — and then an- 

 other, " A sail close on the larboard bow." I trembled then, 

 not for ourselves, for we should have gone over them, and have 

 scarcely felt the shock, — but for the poor wretches, whom it 

 would have been impossible to save. The helm was put hard 

 down ; we shot by, and I again breathed freely, when some 

 one bade me look up to our spars. I did so, and found every 

 upper yard-arm and mast-head tipped with lightning. Each 

 blaze was twice as large as that of a candle, and thus we flew 

 on with the elements of destruction playing above our heads. — 

 In about thirty minutes, the wind, which was from the south- 

 west, changed suddenly to the south-east, and became as hot as 

 air from the mouth of an oven. It was the Sirocco, and brought 

 with it a quantity of fine sand. It lasted half an hour, and was 

 a stiff, smacking breeze, but not near so strong as the one it 



had succeeded. A similar electric phenomenon occurred 



to the ship in which Castor and Pollux sailed, in the Argo- 

 nautic expedition, only the light appeared on the caps of the 

 two heroes : the storm subsided, and they were received as pa- 

 trons of sailors. In this way, too, they often appeared to the 

 Roman armies, and were supposed to be leading them to vic- 

 tory. This was nothing more than the electric fluid on their 

 spears. The late Mr Whitney of Newhaven, when riding on 

 horseback, near East Rock, in the vicinity of that town, during 

 a night thunder-storm of great severity, was astonished to find, 

 all at once, his horse's ears tipped with fire. He alighted, but 



