TORNADOES. 163 



understand the theory of cyclones in both hemispheres, 

 we shall here relate the manner in which Captain 

 J. V. Hall escaped from a typhoon of the China seas. 

 About noon, when three days out from Macao, Captain 

 Hall saw ' a most wild and uncommon-looking halo 

 round the sun.' On the afternoon of the next day, the 

 barometer had commenced to fall rapidly ; and though, 

 as yet, the weather was fine, orders were at once given 

 to prepare for a heavy gale. Towards evening, a bank 

 of cloud was seen in the south-east, but when night 

 closed the weather was still calm and the water smooth, 

 though the sky looked wild and a scud was coming on 

 from the north-east. ( I was much interested,' says 

 Captain Hall, ' in watching for the commencement of 

 the gale, which I now felt sure was coming. That 

 bank to the south-east was the meteor (cyclone) 

 approaching us, the north-east scud the outer north- 

 west portion of it ; and when at night a strong gale 

 came on about north, or north-north-west, I felt certain 

 we were on its western and south-western verge. It 

 rapidly increased in violence ; but I was pleased to see 

 the wind veering to the north-west, as it convinced me 

 that I had put the ship on the right track, namely on 

 the starboard tack, standing, of course, to the south- 

 west. From ten A.M. to three P.M. it blew with great 

 violence, but the ship being well prepared rode com- 

 paratively easy. The barometer was now very low, 

 the centre of the storm passing to the northward of us, 

 to which we might have been very near had we in the 

 first place put the ship on the larboard tack.' 



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