(j.l8 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1702. 



chimney smoking in a calm day. Some yards above the suiTace of the sea, the 

 water stood like a pillar, and then spread itself, and was dissipated like smoke : 

 and the sword-like spout from the clouds either came down to the very middle 

 of this pillar, as if it had been joined with it, as the largest pillar, which fell per- 

 pendicularly down, always did from the beginning to the end ; or else it point- 

 ed to this column of water, at some distance, either in a perpendicular or oblique 

 line, as did the other two lesser ones. There were three or four spouts more, 

 which appeared at the same time in the same quarter of the heavens; but not 

 like the three former, either for bulk or duration : These last appeared and dis* 

 appeared several time*, during the continuance of these three aforesaid. 



It was hardly distinguishable whether the sword-like spout fell first down 

 from the cloud, or the pillar of water rose first from the sea ; both appearing 

 opposite to each other all of a sudden : only I observed of one of them, that 

 the water boiled up from the sea to a great height, without the least appearance 

 of a spout pointing to it, either perpendicularly or obliquely ; and here the 

 water of the sea never came together in the form of a pillar, but rose up scat- 

 teredly, the sea boiling furiously round the place. The wind being then N. E. 

 the said boiling advanced towards the S. W. as a flitting or moving bush on the 

 surface of the sea, and at last ceased. This shows that the boiling or flying up 

 of the water of the sea may begin before the spout from the cloud appears : and 

 indeed, if there be any small matter of priority between these two appearances, 

 the boiling or throwing up of the sea-vvater has it ; which first begins to boil, 

 and then forms itself into a pillar of water, especially on the lower part. 



It was observable of all of them, but chiefly of the large pillar, that towards 

 the end it began to appear like a hollow canal, only black in the borders, but 

 white in the middle ; and though at first it was altogether black and opaque, yet 

 one could very distinctly perceive the sea-water to fly up along the middle of 

 this canal, as smoke does up a chimney, and that with great swiftness, and a 

 very perceptible motion : and then soon after, the spout or canal burst in the 

 middle, and disappeared by little and little ; the boiling up and the pillar-like 

 form of the sea-water continuing always the last, even for some considerable 

 time after the spout disappeared, and perhaps till the spout appeared again, or 

 reformed itself, which it commonly did in the same place as before, breaking 

 and forming itself again several times in a quarter or hall an hour. 



I know not if any one has accounted for this phenomenon; but I imagine it 

 may be solved by suction, or rather pulsion, as in the application of a cupping- 

 glass to the flesh, after the air is first exhausted by the kindled flax. 



It was further observable, that the oblique spouts pointed always from the 

 wind; that is, that the wind being at N. E. the oblique spouts always pointed 



