Water Spouts, 257 



cer of the deck at the time, and my attention was attracted to one 

 of the clouds, which was somewhat lower than the others, but it also 

 passed over without the slightest change in the strength of the breeze. 

 It very soon however began to grow darker, and in a few moments 

 I observed the formation of an inverted cone on its lower edge, and 

 a slight agitation of the sea directly under it. The cone continued 

 gradually to descend until it joined with the agitated point beneath, 

 thus rendering the whole length of the spout visible. It was at this 

 time about a cable's length on the lee quarter. The cloud continu- 

 ed to increase until as large as those which produce the ordinary 

 squalls met with at sea, and soon after the spout disappeared, the 

 lightning began to flash, and the rain to fall so heavily, as to entirely 

 obscure a brig about eight miles to leeward of us. In a few minutes 

 the cloud passed over her, and when she reappeared, we saw that 

 she had furled her light sails, and clued down her topsails, evidently 

 having experienced a heavy squall. 



I have here given you the principal facts, as well as I remember 

 them, but I very much regret that so favorable an opportunity of 

 witnessing these singular phenomena, was not enjoyed by one whose 

 scientific knowledge would have enabled him to arrive at some cor- 

 rect conclusion on the subject. Writers who have already given 

 their attention to it, differ very widely indeed in their theories. Dr. 

 Franklin, Dr. Richardson, Dr. Stuart, M. de la Pryme, and others 

 contend that the water ascends to the cloud. Dr. Lindsay, treats 

 this opinion with great severity, and exercises both his wit and his 

 genius to prove that the water descends in all instances, and that a 

 water spout and a whirlwind, are entirely different. Dr. Perkins of 

 Boston, holds to the same belief, and had a long correspondence 

 with Dr. Franklin on the subject ; but it ended by each adhering to 

 his own opinion. Mr. C. Golden of New York, differe again from 

 all these, and (in a letter to Dr. Franldin, I think,) asserts from his 

 own observation, that what is called a water spout, " is a violent 

 stream of wind, rushing from the upper regions," Stc. Indeed, all 

 these gentlemen seem to have derived their different opinions from 

 facts within their own observation, which go directly to prove their 

 various theories, from which we can only infer that water spouts are 

 very different in their appearance and operation at different times. 

 At the short distance of sixty yards, I could see no evidence of a 

 column of water rising within the tube to a height of thirty two feet, 

 as mentioned by Dr. Stuart. Had this been the case, the spout 



Vol. XXIX.— No. 2. 33 



