071 the Cyclones of the North Pacific Ocean. 33 



westerly position, was nearest to the axis path, and yet found the 

 gale but moderately violent This may be ascribed to the greatly 

 dilated condition of that j)ortion of the gale ; — a condition not 

 uncommon in great cyclones when passing through the temper- 

 ate latitudes ; and which perhaps may have its chief origin in the 

 region where the recurvation of the storm path occurs. For in the 

 change of course at this period, the winds of the eastern portion 

 of the cyclone find an earHer and shorter transit into the recur- 

 vated path of the lower temperate latitudes, than can be found 

 by the opposite winds of the western side, which are now left to 

 pursue a wider circuit. 



On arriving at the Sandwich Islands, Lt. W. L. Maury of the 

 Mississippi procured an extract from the log-book of the Ameri- 

 can whale ship George Rowland; which vessel encountered the 

 gale on the 8th of October, near lat. 46^ N. On this day, at 8 



W 



Lat. 



? 



o 



46° 18' N., Ion. 165^ 50' K At 4 ^. m., wind E. (E. S. E. true,) 

 blowing a heavy gale. At 9 P. M. the gale died away suddenly, 

 and came down from S. W, On the 9th the wind veered to the 

 west; a heavy cross sea; and on the morning 6f 10th the gale 

 was fresh from N. W. At noon moderate ; lat. 44° S6\ Ion. 

 173^20' K -^ 



This further tracing of the cyclone increased the desire for 

 observations from its path in the lower latitudes, which seemed 

 unattainable- But the London Nautical Magazine for February, 

 1865, contains a full report from Capt Briard, of the English 

 brig Gifibrd. The vessel was sailing from San Francisco for 

 Shanghai ; and on 3d of October was in lat. 25° 32' N., Ion. 137 

 48' E., with a fresh wind &om N. B., increasing at night, with 

 squalls and rain : ship veering N. W. by N. ; barometer fluctua- 

 ting from 29-80. Oct. 4th, gale increasing, with rain; lat. 27^^ 

 40', Ion. 134° 10' K, bar. 29-60. At 1 p. m. the bar. feU to 29-35; 

 the gale increasing; and the Captain began to suspect he was 

 edging gradually in with a typhoon ; the wind then being east, 

 and his course W. N. W. He decided on heaving to, "to allow 

 the center of the cyclone to pass on ahead," and accordingly 

 ■ placed the ships head to N. N.E. At midnight, bar. 29'25; 

 gale E. S. E. 



October 5th, still lying to in the tyjihoon. — 



At 4 A. M. bar. 29*20 ; gale wS, E. 



a 



8 " » 29-15 



" noon " 29-05 



" 2 p. M. " 29-00 



u 4 u u 28-80 



" 8 " " 28-70 



o. o- E. 



fc, o. E. 



S. by E. 



South 



S. S. W. 



Midnight '* 28'70; blowing this day a furious 



typhoon ; which at 4 p. M. carried away the bowsprit, foremast, 



lECOKD SERIES, VOL. XXIV, NO. 70. JULY, 1867. 



5 



