OCTOBER, 1881. 73 



The peculiarity of this series of gales is that they have 

 steadily progressed round the compass. They com- 

 menced with south and south-west, and after days devoted 

 to the different "airts" of north-west, north, north-east, 

 and easterly, finished with the bitter south-east gale of 

 last night. As we write the howling of the blast has 

 ceased for a time, but we don't feel at all secure, although, 

 after such a complete occupation of "a' the airts the 

 wind can blaw," we are hoping the week may finish more 

 peacefully. 



The succession of gales have ended, so far, as they 

 began, with an exceptionally intermittent display of 

 energy ; the squalls being constant throughout, and 

 whether from south-west, north, or south-east, equally 

 bitter and disastrous. While driving along by the shores 

 of Ardmucknish Bay yesterday morning, we were surprised 

 to see the Oban fishing boats skimming along in the then 

 increasing gale, and settling down to the whiting fishing, 

 well out in the exposed bay. The rising gusts, after a time, 

 drove them off one by one, until about the middle of the 

 day the last boat bundled and went, having delayed until 

 it had the utmost difficulty in escaping from the white 

 squalls then beginning to churn Loch Linnhe into spin- 

 drift. Shortly after mid-day no sail could with any 

 rational hope be hoisted in our surrounding waters. We 

 sat wondering what was to be the end of such a long- 

 continued spell of rough treatment, and watching the 

 "black and white squalls succeeding each other, and racing 

 madly seaward from the beautifully-situated loch with a 

 southern aspect on whose beach one sailing boat lay 

 bottom up, with the scantiest likelihood of ever again 

 dipping her bow in the briny sea after Thursday night's 

 treatment, when a crash outside announced a further 



