184 Kile for communicating with vessels. 
accompanied with a sudden and pomertal heat. A water- 
spout was seen not far from the village of Boncourt, having 
its broad base resting on the ground, and its summit lost in 
the clouds. It consisted of a thick and blackish vapour, i 
the middle of which were often seen flames in several directions. 
Advancing along with the storm, it broke or tore up by the. 
roots, in the space of a league, seven or eight hundred trees 
of different sizes, and at last burst with great violence in the 
village of Marchepoy, one half of the houses of which were 
instantly destroyed. The walls, overturned to their founda- 
tions, rolled down on all sides ; the roofs, when carried off, 
broke in pieces, and the debris. were dragged to the distance 
of halfa league by the force of this Bau tutfent:” Some of 
the inhabitants were crushed to pieces, or wounded by the 
fall of their houses, and those who were occupied in the la- 
bours of the field, were overthrown or blown away ‘by the 
whirlwind. Hail-stones as large as the fist, and stones and 
ether foreign bodies, carried off by the wind, injured several 
individuals, Carts heavily loaded were broken in pieces, 
and their loads dispersed. ‘Their axletrees Aaa broken and 
the wheels were eu. - the distance of 200 or ge sie 
from the spots where were overturned. One of these - 
carts which ig 628 coi tied off almost bodily, was Pate nea 
above a tile-kiln, which had been beaten down, and some of 
the cay of which had been carried to a considerable 
distance. A spire, several hamlets, and different insulated 
houses, were overthrown. Several ‘villages were considera- 
blyinjured. The lower part of the water-spout is supposed 
to have been about 100 toises in diameter, 
A water-spout, similar in appearance and in its ‘effets to 
the one above described occurred near Genoa, on the 16th 
of September, 1823.—Edinb. Phil. Journ. Vols X. 
21. Kite for communicating with vessels stranded on a bee- 
shore.—Capt. Dansey of the British Royal Artillery, pro- 
poses the ci po meat of a kite to facilitate “ communication 
with | randed on a lee-shore, or under other circam- 
stances, sitiaes’ badness of weather renders the ordinary 
means impracticable. ‘A’ sail’ of light canvass or “holland 
(being cut to the shape and dapled for the: application of 
the principles of the flying kite) is launched from the vessel, 
or other point, to windward of the space over which a com- 
munieation is required; and as soon as it — to be at 
