442 Col. Beaufoy's Account of a Storm. [June, 



Article XI. 



Some Account of the Appearance and Effects of a singular Storm 

 seen at Bushey Heath, Sunday, April 26, 1818. By Colonel 

 Beaufoy, F.R.S. 



(To the Editors of the Annals of Philosophy.) 



On this day, about half-past 12 o'clock, the neighbourhood of 

 Stanmore was visited by a tremendous storm of hail, wind, and 

 rain, accompanied by some unusual phenomena. The elevated 

 situation of Bushey Heath afforded me peculiar facilities for 

 viewing its progress and effects, which occupied in space about 

 five miles in a direct line, and in time about 20 minutes. The 

 morning had been close and sultry, the heavens sufficiently clear 

 to enable me to observe the transit of the sun over the meridian, 

 the wind variable, the barometer 29*000 inches, the thermometer 

 61°, the hygrometer 52°, and the variation of the needle 

 24 s 41' 46" W. I shortly observed the heavens in the south- 

 east quarter much overcast, and some dense, black clouds form- 

 ing in that direction, which almost immediately discharged rain 

 in torrents, followed by tremendous hail, lightning, and thunder. 

 In about half an hour the fury of the storm had somewhat 

 abated, when my attention was attracted to the south-east by an 

 amazing commotion among the clouds, which appeared to roll 

 over and into each other with considerable rapidity. Beneath 

 these dark clouds, there appeared a small white one, moving with 

 surprising velocity towards the north-west, at the same time 

 whirling round in a horizontal direction with prodigious quick- 

 ness, accompanied with a horrid noise, which I can only 

 compare to a stunning and most discordant whistle. The form 

 of this white cloud was in the first instance that of a very obtuse 

 cone with its apex downwards, which, during its rotatory motion, 

 occasionally approached and retired from the earth ; the tail of 

 the cone elongating continually as it receded ; but on approaching 

 the surface of the ground, expanding like the lower part of an 

 hour glass ; when it appeared to collect all the surrounding air 

 into its immediate vortex, as it rebounded with such violence as 

 to root up trees, unroof houses and hayricks, throw down walls, 

 and, in short, every thing that impeded its progress. The 

 effects were, however, exceedingly partial and irregular, depend- 

 ing apparently on the distance of the mouth of the funnel from 

 such objects as chanced to lie in the course of its direction ; as 

 also on the area included within the vortex, at the times it 

 exerted its powers of destruction. This whirlwind appears to 

 have commenced near Mr. Dickson's farm, situated about one 

 mile to the west of the village of Kenton in Middlesex • and 

 from thence proceeded in a north by west direction by the. 



