STOKMS, HL-ERICANES, AND TYPHOONS. 411 



diurnal rotatioD of the earth, and the rotation of the wind in the 

 cyclone in consequence of its centripetal force. For the sake of 

 illustrating my difficulties a little farther, let us suppose a low 

 baronieter with a revolving storm to occur at A in the southern 

 hemisphere. Let the storm be travelling towards B. Let ob- 

 servers be at c", d, and e, and let c" and d be each several 

 himdred miles from A, and so far as to be clearly without the 

 reach of the whirl. Now, then, will not the air at e" and d 

 blow north and east as directly for the place of low barometer as 

 it would were that place an oblong, N A, instead of a disc, as per 

 the arrows? And why should it be a disc in preference to an 

 ellipse, a square, an oblong, or any figure, be it never so irregular? 

 d ^^~e^ ^' The trade-winds answer, showing 



/['g^ r 77 — --— \ — the equatorial calm belt — an 



\ — y-\^=..-~J. J:- oblong — as their place of meet- 



(5-/ ing. They neither revolve nor 



4^0:/ blow at right angles, with the 



/ Aff^'''' \d\ ■^i'^^ ^^ their direction from the 



^v' * '^ place of lotv barometer ; but 



, B /' 'they blow as directly for it as 



the forces of diurnal rotation 

 will allow. But the cyclonologists, instead of permitting the 

 wind at the distance c" sometimes to blow to the east, and 

 at d to blow to the north, merely because there is a low baro- 

 meter east of c" and north of d, require it always so to blow be- 

 cause, by their theory, there is a low barometer east of d and south 

 of c" ! Thus, to reach its theoretical place of destination, the wind 

 must blow in a direction at right angles to that destination ! It 

 would require a rush of inconceivable rapidity so to deflect currents 

 of air while they are yet several hundred miles from the centre of 

 gyration. Moreover, the two cyclonologists, c" and d, w^ould 

 differ with each other as to the centre of the storm. Each at 

 first would assume that the wind was blowing about him in the 

 direction of the curved arrow c" and d. As the place of low 

 barometer travels towards B, the hauling of the wind would ])e 

 according to the theory at c", but against it at d. The cyclono- 

 iogist in d would place the centre of the storm to the eastward 



in MS., of the " Koyal Charter " storm of Octolx^r, 1859. It was a true cyclone — the 

 best type of one, and the most perfectly developed on a large scale that has ever 

 fallen nnder my observation. Its largest diameter did not measure less than 300 

 miles. 



