184 Kite for communicating with vessels. 
accompanied with a sudden and powerful heat. A water- 
spout was seen not far from the village of Boncourt, having 
its broad base resting on the ground, and its summit lost in 
the clouds. It consisted of a thick and blackish vapour, in 
the middle of which were often seen flames in several directions. 
Advancing along with the storm, it broke or tore up by the 
roots, in the space of a league, seven or eight hundred trees 
of different sizes, and at last burst with great violence in the 
village of Marchepoy, one half of the houses of which were 
instantly destroyed. The walls, overturned to their founda- 
tions, rolled down on all sides; the roofs, when carried off, 
broke in pieces, and the debris were dragged to the distance 
of halfa league by the force of this erial torrent. Some of 
the inhabitants were crushed to pieces, or wounded by the 
fall of their houses, and those who were occupied in the la- 
bours of the field, were overthrown or blown away by the 
whirlwind. Hail-stones as large as the fist, and stones and 
. other foreign bodies, carried off by the wind, injured several 
individuals, Carts heavily loaded were broken in pieces, 
and theirloads dispersed. Their axletrees were broken and 
the wheels were found at the distance of 250 or 300 paces 
from the spots where they were overturned. One of these 
carts which had been carried off almost bodily, was pitched 
above a tile-kiln, which had been beaten down, and some of 
the materials of which had been carried to a considerable 
distance. Aspire, several hamlets, and different insulated 
houses, were overthrown. Several villages were considera- 
blyinjured. The lower part of the water-spout is supposed 
to have been about 100 totses in diameter. 
A water-spout, similar in appearance and in its effects to 
the one above described occurred near Genoa, on the 16th 
of September, 1823.—Edinb. Phil. Journ. Vol. X. 
91. Kite for communicating with vessels stranded on a lee- 
shore.—Capt. Dansey of the Britisn Royal Artillery, pro- 
poses the employment of a kite to facilitate “ communication 
with vessels stranded on a lee-shore. or under other circum- 
stances, where badness of weather renders the ordinary 
means impracticable. A sail of ligit canvass or holland 
(being cut to the shape and adapted for the application of 
the principles of the flying kite) is launched from the vessel, 
or other point, to windward of the space over which a com- 
“munication is required; and as soon as it appears to be at 
