22 



PART II. 



The Whirlwind of the Paquebot des Mers du Sud, Captain P. Saliz. 



The Mauritius Price Current of 7th and 14th September* 1841, give 

 the following notice of this remarkable phenomenon, and as it is most 

 important to place a good account of it upon record, I have thought 

 it right to print the Mauritius account, with the addition of what I have 

 personally learnt from Captain Saliz. 



" Captain Saliz of the French Ship Paquebot des Mers du Sud, 

 who arrived here on Wednesday last from Bordeaux, which port 

 he left on the 9th June, reports, that on the 8th August, he encoun- 

 tered in latitude 38° south and longitude 21° east (from Paris.) 23° 20' E. 

 from London ; while scudding before a tremendous sea, an awful whirl- 

 wind, which in a twinkling carried away her three sails furrowing them 

 with flashes of light (without however either destruction or ignition,) 

 carried away the two top- gallant masts, and shoved the ship to wind- 

 ward, throwing her on her beam ends to starboard, the water pouring 

 over her bulwarks. In this perilous situation she lay for nearly half 

 an hour, nor was she righted till she was again brought before the wind 

 by means of a tarpaulin hung out from the fore rigging, and by cut- 

 ting away the mizen mast, weather backstays, and shrouds of the 

 main top mast, which fell, carrying along in its fall the head of the main 

 mast. She scudded during the remainder of the gale under bare poles." 



In addition to this notice, Captain Saliz, who is a gentleman of edu- 

 cation and long nautical experience, with great intelligence, has oblig- 

 ingly favoured me with his log book, and with replies to many questions 

 addressed to him, from which I collect, in addition to what is stated above, 

 the following particulars. 



He was on the 8th August at noon in Lat. 38° 28' S. Long, by Chr. 

 19° 57' F. from Paris, 22° 17' E. from London Bar. at 27.5 French 

 (28.00 Eng.) steering to the SE. | E. with wind from the North, 

 to which it had veered from the NE. at midnight preceding. Sea heavy 

 from NE. and at times from the NW. heavy squalls ; sea very high from 



* The P. C. of the 14th contains some corrections which are made here. 



