HURRICANE AT PORT ESSINGTON. 99 



at this very time a hurricane visited Port Essing- 

 ton, distant 270 miles, in a N. 30°. E. direction.* 



* The following account of tlie effects of this hurricane at Port 

 Essington is from the pen of Captain Stanley, and has been pub- 

 lished in the Nautical Magazine for Sept. 1841. 



" Monday 25th. — A strong breeze set in from the south-east 

 with drizzling rain, but as the barometer remained at 29*90, its 

 usual point, and similar weather had been experienced at the 

 change of the monsoon in 1838, nothing was apprehended, more 

 particularly as the wind moderated (as had been expected) at 

 sunset. Between seven and eight o'clock the wind drew round to 

 the southward, and the barometer began to fall rapidly : at ten 

 it blew furiously from the same quarter, and the barometer was 

 as low as 29*10 ; many of the trees were blown down at this 

 time. At midnight the wind drew round to the eastward, and 

 blew a perfect hurricane, before which nearly everything gave 

 way ; the trees came down in every part of the settlement ; the 

 marines' houses were all blown down ; the church, only finished a 

 week, shared the same fate : — the barometer fell to 28*52. 



" About two A.M. the wind shifted suddenly to the northward, 

 from which point for about half-an-hour, its fury was tremendous j 

 the government-house, built on stone piers, was blown away 

 from them to a distance of nine feet ; the sea rose ten feet and a 

 half, by measurement afterwards, above the usual high water mark. 

 H.M.S. Pelorus, having parted her cables, was driven on shore, 

 and thrown over on her beam ends, on the north-east point of the 

 settlement, where heeling over 82o, her starboard side was buried 

 nine feet in the mud, leaving the keel three feet clear of the 

 ground.! 



f The Pelorus was dug out of the mud, and once more got 

 afloat towards the middle of February following. This immense 

 undertaking was accomplished by the indefatigable exertion and 

 mechanical skill of her commander. Captain Kuper, C.B., assisted 

 by Captain Stanley. — J. L. S. 



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