Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 155 



ON THE DUST-STOllMS OF INDIA. BY P. BADDELEY, ESQ. 



To the Editors of the Philosophical Magazine and Journal. 

 Gentlemen, Lahore, April 18, 1850. 



I have only an hour or two to spare before the Indian mail leaves 

 this, to give you a few notes regarding dust-storms, which are 

 very prevalent in this part of India during the dry months of April, 

 May and June, that is, before the setting in of the rainy season. 



My observations on this subject have extended as far back as the 

 hot weather of 1847, when I first came to Lahore, and the result is 

 as follows : — Dust-storms are caused by spiral columns of the electric 

 fluid passing from the atmosphere to the earth ; they have an onward 

 motion — a revolving motion, like revolving storms at sea — and a 

 peculiar spiral motion from above downwards, like a corkscrew. It 

 seems probable that in an extensive dust-storm there are many of 

 these columns moving on together in the same direction ; and during 

 the continuance of the storm, many sudden gusts take place at in- 

 tervals, during which time the electric tension is at its maximum. 

 These storms hereabouts mostly commence from the north-west or 

 west, and in the course of an hour, more or less, they have nearly 

 completed the circle, and have passed onwards. 



Precisely the same phenomena, in kind, are observable in all cases 

 of dust-storms : from the one of a few inches in diameter to those 

 that extend for fifty miles and upwards, the phsenomena are identical. 



It is a curious fact, that some of the smaller dust-storms occasion- 

 ally seen in extensive and arid plains, both in the country and in 

 Afghanistan above the Bolon Pass, called in familiar language 

 " Devils," are either stationary for a long time, that is, upwards of 

 an hour, or nearly so ; and during the whole of this time the dust 

 and minute bodies on the ground are kept whirling about into the 

 air. In other cases these small dust-storms are seen slowly advan- 

 cing, and when numerous, usually proceed in the same direction. 

 Birds, kites and vultures, are often seen soaring high up just above 

 these spots, apparently following the direction of the column, as if 

 enjoying it. My idea is, that the phsenomena connected with dust- 

 storms are identical with those present in waterspouts and white 

 squalls at sea, and revolving storms and tornadoes of all kinds ; and 

 that they originate from the same cause, viz. moving columns of 

 electricity. 



In 1847, at Lahore, being desirous of ascertaining the nature 

 of dust-storms, I projected into the air an insulated copper wire 

 on a bamboo on the top of my house, and brought the wire into 

 my room, and connected it with a gold-leaf electrometer and a 

 detached wire communicating with the earth. A day or two after, 

 during the passage of a small dust-storm, I had the pleasure of ob- 

 serving the electric fluid passing in vivid sparks from one wire to 

 another, and of course strongly affecting the electrometer. The 

 thing was now explained ; and since then I have by the same means 

 observed at least sixty dust-storms of various sizes, all presenting 

 the same phsenomena in kind, 



I have commonly observed that, towards the close of a storm of 

 this kind, a fall of rain suddenly takes place, and instantly the stream 



