ON THE METEOROLOGY OF PORT LOUIS. 121 



2nd of December. The wind veered from S.E. to S., S.W., and W., and 

 its maximum force was 9-50 lbs. The rainfall was only 0-430 inch. The 

 barometer fell to 29-666. This was a small revolving storm, which passed 

 on the east side of the island. Its nearest distance was 150 miles. 



1863. — Several hurricanes occurred iu 1863. The first took place on the 

 13th of January. The wind veered from E. b. S. to jST.E., K, N.W., W., 

 and W.S.W., and its maximum force was 17 lbs. The rainfall, from 9§ a.m. 

 on the 11th to 9^ a.m. on the 14th, was 7-22-5 inches. This was a rogatory 

 storm, which came down from the north-westward, and the centre of which 

 passed over the S.W. extremity of the island. The barometer fell to 29-332. 



A second gale took place between the 31st of January and the 4th of Feb- 

 ruary. The wind veered from E.S.E. to N.E., N., and IST.W., and attained a 

 force of 12 lbs. The barometer fell to 29-700. The rainfall was 1-681 inch. 

 This was another revolving storm, which passed about 50 miles west of Re'- 

 union, and caused great loss in that island. 



A third revolving storm passed on the northward and north-westward of 

 the island between the 9th and 13th of February. Its nearest distance was 

 200 miles. The barometer at the Observatory feU to 29-816. The wind 

 veered from S.E. to E. and N.E., and attained a force of 14 lbs. The rain- 

 fall was 3-192 inches. 



Between the 18th and 22nd of February a fourth rotatory storm of great 

 violence passed on the north and west of the island, the wind veering from 

 S.E. to E. and N.N.E., and attaining a maximum force of 36 lbs. The 

 nearest distance of the centre was 50 miles. The barometer fell to 29-438. 

 The rainfall was 2-430 inches. 



1864. — The year 1864 was remarkable for an absence of hurricanes. The 

 strongest gale took place on the 2nd of July, with the barometer at 30-209. 

 The wind blew from S.E. to E., with a maximum force of 8-7 lbs. Scarcely 

 any rain fell. 



1865. — This year was also characterised by an absence of hurricanes. 

 One or two gales, however, occurred in February. On the 12th of that 

 month the wind, which had been previously veering from S.E. to E., sud- 

 denly increased from N.E. by E., and attained a force of 7-5 lbs. at 3-15 p.m., 

 and then died away to hght airs tiU midnight, when it increased to a force of 

 3 lbs. from N.W. When the wind came round to 1!^. and N.W., the moun- 

 tains became speedily enveloped in dense masses of vapour down to theii- 

 bases, and between 7 and 9 p.m., during a thunder-storm, rain fell in torrents. 

 The streams rose rapidly ; bridges and causeways were swept away, stores 

 inundated, and several lives lost. The rainfall at Port Louis in 24 hours was 

 7-460 inches, the greater portion of which fell between 6 and 9 p.m. ; but at 

 La Gaite it was 18-307 inches, and at Croft-an-Eigh 14-65 inches. The baro- 

 meter fell to 29-507. There was no revolving storm in the neighbourhood of 

 the island on this occasion ; but the IST.W. monsoon advanced to the south- 

 ward, and heavy rains, accompanied with strong winds, thunder, and light- 

 ning, fell in the localities where it came into collision with the S.E. trade- 

 wind. 



The strongest gale during this year took place between the 19th and 22nd 

 of February. The wind remained at S.S.E. to E.S.E., and its maximum force 

 was 13-5 lbs. The rainfall was only 0-665 inch. The barometer fell to 

 29-730. On this occasion two or three revolving storms occurred at some 

 distance to the northward and north-eastward of the island, between the 

 confines of the N.W. monsoon and S.E. trade-wind. 



1866. — The strongest gale in the course of this year took place between 

 1867. K 



