On Watei'-Spouts. 255 



thus, a water-spout has been known to transport a sewing-bag 

 about seven English miles, and a letter upwards of twenty Eng- 

 lish miles. A fish-pond has been emptied by a water-spout, and 

 the fish scattered round its margin. On Christiansoe, a water- 

 spout emptied the harbor to such an extent, that the greater por- 

 tion of the bottom was uncovered. But the action is not always 

 so violent. They have occasionally passed over small vessels 

 without doing them much harm. On land, men have been car- 

 ried up by them, and yet let down again unharmed. An indi- 

 vidual, who had the curiosity and boldness to follow a water- 

 spout, was involved in one of its spiral windings, but escaped 

 without injury. 



It is probable that, in some of the cases, where a fall of seeds, 

 animals, and other similar objects from the atmosphere, has been 

 noticed, the phenomenon is to be ascribed to water-spouts. 



The examples already given, prove clearly that there is an ele- 

 vating power in water-spouts, and it would be easy to multiply 

 them to a great extent, if we had not, at another part of this essay, 

 to adduce many similar ones for other reasons. I shall here no- 

 tice only one other instance, which is of consequence, from the 

 care with which it was observed. On the 19th of June, 1835, a 

 great water-spout passed over New Brunswick in North America. 

 Three days afterwards, its effects were carefully investigated by 

 three scientific men, and more especially with reference to the 

 direction of those displays of violent action which had been ex- 

 hibited. Of course, such an investigation could only discover 

 the direction in the immediate vicinity of the earth. The water- 

 spout followed a course from west to east, and traversed a space 

 of about thirty five English miles in less than fifty minutes. It 

 was found that those trees which were overturned in the middle 

 of its course or near it, lay with the tops towards the east, so that 

 the existence was thus shown of a current of air having the same 

 direction as that taken by the water-spout. On the other hand, 

 those trees which had fallen further out on either side, lay, it is 

 true, with their tops towards the east, but not directly so, being 

 at the same time turned towards the centre of the course of the 

 water-spout. It was also discovered, that at first, an opposite di- 

 rection, viz. from east to west, must have been followed at every 

 place, for rotten and brittle trees, which must have been first 

 overthrowDj lay under the others, and were turned to that direc- 



