Ibs4.] 



of the Bay of Bttxjal hi 1883. 



131 



in strcnsrtli, as is shewn by the following return of the wind observations 

 on the Madi*ad coast : — 





':°:?aTc" '-'■ \ "^'- \ '-'■ 



4th. 



5th. 



6th. 



7th. 





Dir. 



1 



< 



Dir. 



i iDir. 



§ 

 1 



Dir. 



c 



i 



S 



Dir. 



-J 



1 

 B 



Dir. 



o 

 B 

 < 



Dir. 



o 



<1 



Dir. 



1 



1 



Vizagapa- 



X83°E 



2-5 



N 



2 



N 



1 



N 



3 



N 



3 



NE 



3 



N 



4 



NE 



2 



tam. 



































Masnlipa- 



N56°E 



60 



NNE 



9 



SE 



9 



ENE 



6 



EXE 



9ENE 



7 



NE 



8 



NNE 



7 



tam. 



































Madras. . 



N24°E 



6-8 



wsw 



5 



SE 



^ 



SE 



7 



NNE 



5 



N 



5 



N 



6 



E 



4 



Negapa- 



X37°E 



5-6 



sw 



? 



SW 



OWNW 



p 



NE 



? 



NNE 



2 



NE 



4 NNE 



6 



taiQ. 































The preceding observations shew that the north-east winds on the 

 Madras coast were diminishing in force. It is, therefore, probable 

 that the south- west monsoon current over the south of the Bay was 

 much weaker, and that, instead of recurving and blowing stronglj' on 

 the Madras coast, it was continued over the centre of the Bay as light and 

 variable winds. This supposition is, it will be seen, confirmed by 

 the accounts of the weather contained in the logs of the vessels navi- 

 gating the Bay to the west of the Andamans at that time. The cyclone 

 did not commence to form until the 9th of November, but the meteoro- 

 logy of the Bay on the 7th and 8th is given to shew the character of the 

 weather prior to the storm. 



7th November. — The barometer was oscillating at the time slowly 

 over the whole of India, and the distribution of pressure was almost 

 identical with that which had obtained for the previous three or four days, 

 and differed very slightly from the nonnal. A slight rise of the barome- 

 ter occurred dxiring the previous 24 hours at the great majority of stations. 

 The barometric changes were, however, of no importance. The barometer 

 was highest in Scind and Rajputana, where the readings averaged 30*05", 

 and was lowest over the south of the Bay, where, as shown by the returns 

 of Negapatam, Trincomalee, Port Blair, and Nancowry, it was slightly 

 below 29'95' . The differences of pressure were hence comparatively 

 small over the whole area. 



The following tabic gives the 10 a. m. readings of the baromct<;r. 



