the South Pacific Ocean. 



269 



Maugaia. 



^ 



The Rev. W. Day of Hobart Town, in a journal kept by him 

 at Upolu, one of the Navigators' Islands, describes a hurricane 

 which occurred there on the 15th of December 1842. The wind 

 set in from N.E., and got round to S.E. by S. This order of 

 veering imphes progression to the south of east. At 8 p.m. on 

 the 16th of December, the huri'icane reached H.M.S. Favourite 

 in 21° S. 204° E., and lasted during the 17th and 18th. When 

 off Mangaia on the 1 7th, the Favourite lost sails, boats, and one 

 man. The wind shifted from N.E. to E.N.E. and to S. by W., 

 so that the cyclone was now moving towards the south-east. In 

 the Nautical Magazine, p. 425, volume for 1845, is given an 

 extract from the log of the Favourite ; and Captain Stokes has 

 added many particu- upoiu. 



lars of this hurricane 

 in vol. ii. p. 441, of 'the 

 Voyage of the Beagle; 

 where, however, he 

 erroneously supposes 

 the progressive mo- 

 tion to be towards the 

 south-west. (Track A in the chart, Plate III. %. 3.) 



The Sydney Morniny Herald states that there was a hurricane 

 at Upolu on the 16th of March, 1846. H.M.S, Juno, &c. were 

 in the harbour. It blew hardest from N.W. A great many 

 whalers came in to repair after the storm. The northern qua- 

 drant passed over Upolu. 



The Rev. A. Buzzacott has given me the particulars of what 

 is called ''the great hurricane" at Raratonga. On the 16th of 

 March there was a furious gale from the 

 eastward. At 1 a.m. of the 17th there was 

 a dead culm for a few minutes, and then the 

 wind shifted suddenly to the south-west. 

 This implies the passage of the central space 

 towards the south-eastward. At Mangaia, 

 forty miles S.E. of Raratonga, the change 

 of wind occurred at 10 a.m. of the 17th. At 

 Raratonga the actual violence lasted from 9 p.m. of the 16th 

 to 3 a.m. of the 17th. On board a vessel between Raratonga 

 and Mangaia the barometer was lowest at 5 a.m. of the 17th. 

 The barometrical fluctuations at Raratonga were — 



March 16, 10 a.m. 39-50 



7 P.M. 29-00 



10 P.M. 28-50 



12 P.M. 28-00 



March 17, 1 a.m. 



2 A.M. 

 4 A.M. 

 6 A.M. 



27-70 

 28-00 

 29-00 

 29-50 



The track of this cyclone is marked B on the chart. 



