1 66 



NATURE 



[Dec. 28,1871 



visible at either of these distances, and the haze itself 

 would give the appearance of a distant water horizon.* 



The opinion that this open sea was of limited extent is, 

 I think, further confirmed by what Mr. Morton states as a 

 proof (as he thought) of its being " boundless " or very 

 large. Morton says "that he remained for three 

 days watching the open sea rolling in waves at his feet, 

 and, although there was a strong breeze or gale blowing 

 from the north all the time, not a single piece of ice '' 

 floated past to the southward. t 



My interpretation of the above fact is quite the opposite 

 to that of Morton, for 1 believe there was a barrier of 

 fixed ice at no great distance to the north, hid from his 

 view by the cause 1 have named, which prevented any ice 

 driving south at the season of the year when Morton was 

 there, I think in June. 



LONG 70° WES' 



I offer these opinions with much diffidence, for we have 

 been recently told that all great Arctic authorities now 

 agree as to the Smith Sound route being the best. When 

 the subject was brought prominently to notice in 1865, the 

 " great authorities " did not agree, there being about as 

 many opinions on one side as on the other. 



At that time, without the slightest pretence to being an 

 " authority " in the matter, I looked rather closely into 

 the figures on which the facts favourable to the Smith 

 Sound route were founded, and finding these figures in 

 several important instances erroneous, the facts them- 

 selves lost much of their value. John Rae 



* I use tlie term " water horizon " in opposition to "ice horizon," which 

 exhibits a bright line easily recognisable by those who have once seen it. 



+ As I quote from memory, I give to the best of my belief Morton's mean- 

 ing, if not his words. 



THE TYPHOON OF 2nd SEPTEMBER, 1871 



THE Typhoon in China of the 2nd September last, de- 

 tailed accounts of which reached England by the 

 last mail, and which included in its area of most active 

 violence the island and vicinity of Hong Kong, affords to 

 those interested in such natural phenomena an opportunity 

 of observing their varied characteristics, that may possibly 

 never occur again. Tlie great centre of its efforts having 

 been in a situation where elaborate observations could be 

 taken regarding it botli at sea and land, a vast amount of 

 information has been collected on the subject, which throws 

 more light upon these singular "freaks of nature" than 

 has ever before been arrived at. 



In treating on the subject, I shall in the first place 

 point out the course which — after careful investigation 

 — 1 believe the typhoon to have followed, and after- 

 wards I shall state the evidences that I adduce in 

 support of the theory which I have adopted. Before 

 commencing, how-ever, it may be as well briefly to illus- 

 trate the plan engraved. The names Formosa, Siaiii, 

 Onward, Mikado, Woodbine, and Anna Henderson are 

 those of six vessels which were on their way to and within 

 a short distance of Hong Kong during the typhoon, and 

 extracts from whose shipping reports are now before me. 

 A portion of the continent of China is to the north of the 

 plan. The town of Macao and the islands of Hong Kong, 

 Lantao, and Lema are in their respective positions. 



The course which was taken by the typhoon was nearly 

 allied to a parabolic curve. I have not attempted to trace 

 its source farther eastward than the position indicated 

 by 22° 30' N. lat. and 116° 10' E. long., where it 

 overtook the Formosa (see a in map), or to follow 

 it beyond the point indicated by 21° 15" N. lat. and 

 115° 45' E. long., where it struck the Ottivard (see f 

 in map) on its return from the West. This portion of 

 its course is marked in the plan by a succession of dotted 

 lines. Consequently my observations are confined to the 

 proceedings of the typhoon within these limits. After 

 passing the Formosa, it swept over Hong Kong, crossed 

 the mouth of the Canton River, and continued its head- 

 long career to the town of Macao. Approaching this 

 point, however, it was met by a strong northerly gale, and 

 turned towards the south, but again encountering oppo- 

 sition in the shape of a south-west gale, it returned towards 

 the east, upsetting the Mi/cado and driving the Onward 

 before it. Throughout its entire course it consisted of a 

 comparatively narrow belt of wind. 



So much for the statement of my theorem. Now for 

 its proofs. 



1 assume that only three conditions are necessary to 

 substantiate my argument : — 



1. I must prove that the typhoon reached the various 

 positions which I have indicated in the order actually laid 

 down. 



2. That it reached them at successive intervals of time. 



3. That its greatest observed efforts were exerted on 

 or in the vicinity of the line adopted by me, and not at 

 any appreciable distance to the right or left of it. 



4. That the two opposing gales, which 1 have described 

 as occasioning the alteration in the course of the typhoon, 

 did actually exist. 



The first and second of these four conditions appear to 

 be so intimately connected, that I think 1 cannot do better 

 than consider them together. The earliest observations 

 of the typhoon were made by the Formosa, which experi- 

 enced its full force in the situation indicated in the plan 

 between a and b. Both positions are accurately deter- 

 mined. The following is an extract from the shipping 

 report : " On September 2, the barometer 29'30, experi- 

 enced very heavy typhoon ; during the typhoon the ship 

 suffered some damage. At 4 A.M. on 2nd inst., barometer 

 29*25, blowing very heavy from east ; at 12 noon, the same 

 day, the wind moderated ; at 2 p.m. on same made some 



