178 



J. Eliot — The South-West Monsoon Storms 



[No. 2, 



The above shows that the Bancoora, which left the River Hooghly on 

 the 11th, approached within 70 miles of the centre of the cyclone at 

 noon of the 13th. She had heavy squalls and a tremendous sea, and 

 yet the total range of her barometer, as determined by the noon observa- 

 tions, was only '117", or actually less than the diurnal range of the 

 barometer in the Bay. 



The Satara furnishes equally strong evidence. She was for a con- 

 siderable time in the eastern quadrant of the cyclone at no great distance 

 from the centre, and hence felt the full force of the storm. 





Barometer. 



Dist- 

 ance. 



Wind. 



Swell. 



Weather. 



10th ... 



29-89 





2 to 5 



None. 



Fine. 



11th ... 



•80 



250 



4 to 6 



Heavy sea. 



Gale. Heavy squalls. 



12th ... 



•61 



90 



9 



Heavy sea. 



Hard gale. 



13th ... 



•68 



35 



8 to 9 



Heavy sea. 



Strong gale. 



The preceding observations show that on the 11th, when the state 

 of the sea and the strength of the wind indicated the existence of a 

 cyclonic storm, her barometer had not fallen a tenth of an inch. It 

 was only on the 12th, when she was in the midst of the storm, and the 

 wind had increased to force 9, and was blowing a hard gale, that the 

 barometer began to fall to any considerable extent. 



These examples appear to establish that the barometric movements 

 are very small in the outer portion of the smaller cyclonic disturbances of 

 the Bay, and are generally smaller than those due to the regular changes 

 common to the whole of India. Hence the barometer gives little or no 

 practical warning of the approach of a small cyclone in the Bay, and 

 mariners should therefore rely mainly on other indications. 



The path of the cyclone was contrary to all recorded experience 

 of storms in the Martaban Gulf. The following is the list of storms 

 that have been known to occur in that portion of the Bay, taken 

 from Mr. Blanford's Catalogue of the recorded Cyclones in the Bay of 

 Bengal, up to the end of 1876, in Journ. As. Soc, Bengal, 1876, 

 Vol. XLVI, Pt. II :— 



1840 — ^November 21st. To the N. E. of the Andamans. 



1844— November 9th — 14th. East of the Andamans. Encountered by 



