16 Account of a Hurricane 



at east-south-east on that clay, and prevailed with greater 

 violence than was ever before known on that part of the 

 ocean, un;il about three o'clock the next morning, when, 

 V ithout the least warning, it shifted in an instant, and blew 

 with such fury from north-nortli-west, that the oldest sea- 

 man in the tlcct had never ?een the like. The Ramillies, 

 the Centaur, L'Hector, the Ville de Paris, and many other 

 ships, the spoils of Rodney's victory iu the West Indies, 

 ail perished. 



The particular accounts will be o;iven under distinct heads, 

 classing the occurrences according to liieir appearance. 



1st, ///, the Caribbcc Islands. — On the 3d of September 

 there was a liard gale at Martinique, so as to make vesseU 

 quit their anchors, drive ashore, tkc. A number of vessels 

 were driven ashore at St. Croix. Of thirty-two sail at St. 

 Bartholomew's, only two rode it out. At St. Pierre's 

 (Martinique), Mr. J. Anderson stated the wind to have been 

 from the north-west and west-north-v.est. At St. Bartho- 

 lomew's it began from the north-west, then blew from 

 north, and at last got round to the south-west. On the 

 Sd, 4th, and 5th of September, capt. Henry, on a voyage 

 from Point-Petre to Philadelphia, was obliged to lie-to under 

 Dcseada for tifty-six hours. The gale was heavy, with rain 

 and thick v.-eathcr. 



Captam Jones related that at Point-Petr^ there was, on 

 the 4th of Septembc-r, the most dreaulul gale known for 

 twenty years. There happened to be no vessels at Basse- 

 terre. But at Donnnique every vessel had been lost. 



On the 4th of September two brigs, commanded by cap- 

 tains Lovell and Glazier, were driven out of their ports ; 

 one at St. Croix, and the other at St. Thomas. The gale 

 was so violent as to make them slip iheir cables with the 

 loss of their best bowers. It lasted thirty-six hours, and 

 was as severe as any ever recollected. At St. Thomas thirty 

 sail were driven on shore. 



Capt. Smith sailed from Demarara on the 21st of Au- 

 gust, bound for New York. He was overtaken by the hur- 

 ricane on the 4lh of September. It blew from the south- 

 Ward and eastward. After being thrown on his beam ends, 

 and losing his foremast and bowsprit, she was rendered so 

 leaky as to be abandoned on the 8th as a wreck. 



Capt. Boardman, on his passage from Guadaloupe to 

 Kewbury Port, experienced the gale from the 4th to the 

 7 th of September. Capt. Day, on his passage from Ber- 

 bice to the same place, was overtaken by the gale to the 

 \eeward of Tobago. 



Capt. 



