1842.] A Seventh Memoir on the Law of Storms in India. 977 



Letter from Captain Buckton, commanding Brig " Algerine." 



Sir, — Upon perusal of the " Englishman" of the 6th instant, I ob- 

 serve your request, " for any information respecting the late storm/' 

 that this city has been visited with. 



Should my observations upon the extraordinary weather, which 

 I encountered in the Bay of Bengal, between the 19th May and 4th 

 June, tend to throw any further light upon the Law of Storms than is 

 at present known, I shall feel glad that the constant attention which 

 I paid to the signs of the weather, and the indications of a most excel- 

 lent Marine Barometer (by Troughton and Sons,) will have slightly 

 availed the interests of science. 



The 18th May, in latitude 8° 5' N. longitude 97° 50' E. com- 

 menced with light Westerly winds, increasing towards midnight with 

 thick cloudy weather. At 9h. 30m. a. m. experienced a very heavy 

 squall from the N. W., with torrents of rain, loud peals of thunder 

 and vivid forked lightning ; the electric fluid struck on the wet deck, 

 hissing as it bounded forward and over to leeward ; and the force of 

 the wind so great, that, although every sail was furled, we lay lee gun- 

 wale under. This squall lasted until near noon, and was succeeded 

 by a fresh breeze from the Westward, and which continued with 

 thick cloudy weather until noon of the 23rd, when, in latitude 6° 16' 

 N. longitude 97° 20' East, the wind gradually veered round to S. W. 

 and W. S. W. increasing to a double reefed topsail breeze, carrying 

 us into latitude 8° 50' North, longitude 93° 35' East; during the 

 whole of the time the Barometer ranged between 29.20 down to 29.0 

 At 3 a. m. of the 26th, the wind drew round to W. by S., blowing 

 strong, with a high confused sea. Barometer down to 28.80, latitude 

 9° 20' N., longitude 93° 11' East; at 2 a. m. 27th, the wind suddenly 

 veered round in a heavy squall to N. W., then to N. E., and back 

 again to N. N. W., with very heavy rain, little thunder, but most 

 vivid and constant lightning ; the Barometer falling to 28-70, latitude 

 9° 26' N., longitude 92° 35' E. 



On 28th, in latitude 10° 0' N., longitude 92° 26' East, the sky 

 became a perfect dense mass of black clouds with the scud flying 

 rapidly past from N. E., S. E., and W. S. W., the wind light, and 



