On the Identity of Jr^ater- spouts and Whirlwinds. i05 



Loth from the interior and exterior sides of the ascending spiral, 

 where it was evident the power of tiie whirlwind was not ca- 

 pable of carrying all the gaseous particles np into the cloud. 

 When we were close to this water-spout the white tube in the 

 centre was not visible, but only a vacant column, as mentioned 

 above ; which column, had we been a quarter or half a mile off, 

 would probably, by an optical illusion, have appeared, as usual, 

 like a white column of water. 



In the straits of Malacca I have sometimes seen upwards of a 

 dozen water-spouts at the same time, and have been near to se- 

 veral. Once I passed through tbe vortex of a whirlpool pro- 

 duced by a water-spout beginning to form ; it was directly under 

 a dense cloud, from which an inverted conical tube was descend- 

 ing when we passed through the whirlpool in the ship: this was 

 about twenty or twenty-five yards in diameter, and the water was 

 carried round by the force of the whirlwijid over it, with a velo- 

 city of about from three to four miles an hour, breaking in little 

 waves with a hissing noise, bv a portion of those waves being 

 torn away in the form of white vapour. I felt a pleasing sensa- 

 tion at the time, expecting when passing through the vortex of 

 an incipient water-spout, to be a close observer of it completely 

 formed ; but whether the communicating force was destroyed bv 

 the ship passing tiirough the vortex, or from a deficiency of 

 strength in the whirlwind, or from some other cause, a dispersion 

 of the phaenomenon soon followed. 



It would be needless to adduce more examples to exhibit the 

 affinity of the common water-spout, as observed at sea, and the 

 whirlwind ; but I fully agree with the assertion, that there are 

 various kinds of whirlwinds, and, perhaps, also of water- spouts ; 

 both the former and the latter, as has been observed, happen 

 sometimes in this country. On the 27th ,hme last, a remark- 

 able case of the affinity of the water-spout and whirlwind was 

 observed by many persons in the vicinity of London, among whom 

 was the editor of the Monthly Magazine, and a description of 

 this phienomenon is recorded in the Philosophical Magazine, 

 No, 232, vol. 50. When it happened, very dark clouds had col- 

 lected over the adjoining country, and some stormy rain accom- 

 panied by several strokes of lightning followed this hurricane of 

 wind. 



The correspondent of the Naval Chrojiide says, whirlwinds 

 occur very frequently when the clouds are high, the sun shining, 

 and the wind light; but, although whirlwinds do certainly hap- 

 pen at these times, yet they seem more dangerous and terrific in 

 their appearance when accompanied bv dense and stormy clouds. 

 I once observed a whirlwind upon the coast of Coromandcl du- 

 ring a w arm day, when there was little wfnd and no clouds, which 



carried 



