1843] Law of Storms in India. 379 



progressive motion of storms. It was fortunate that the Seaton was 

 on the proper tack when the wind changed ; had it veered forward in. 

 stead of aft, before the loss of her masts, it is more than probable she 

 would have gone down by the stern, as many ships are supposed to 

 have done in similar hurricanes. 



On Sunday evening, the 30th October, there was neither cloud nor 

 fog-bank in the western horizon, yet the sun went down fiery red and 

 contracted in appearance. His rays instead of glancing obliquely 

 across the waves, seemed to dip and lose themselves almost perpendi- 

 cularly in the long heavy swell. During the height of the storm the 

 rain fell in torrents, the lightning darted in awful vividness from the 

 intensely dark masses of clouds that pressed down, as it were, on the 

 troubled sea. In the zenith there was visibly an obscure circle of im- 

 perfect light of 10 or 12 degrees. When the hurricane took off, the 

 scene to leeward was awfully grand, — thick masses of the darkest 

 purple-coloured clouds were rolling over each other in inconceivable 

 confusion, tinged and lighted up in different places by intensely vivid 

 lightning. The hoarse roar of the retiring storm, mingled with the 

 hollow growl of continued thunder, as they slowly retreated with the 

 gale, left an impression on the mind not easily to be forgotten; the 

 respiration of every person on board was affected : this is to be ac- 

 counted for by the electric state of the atmosphere with which all 

 hurricanes seem to be intimately connected, if not entirely excited and 

 influenced thereby. The lowest range of the Barometer was 27.6. At 

 Bangalore, in which appears to have been the same gale, it fell to 

 27.4;* but as the Seaton seems to have been in the centre of the hur- 

 ricane, or nearly so, it is very probable that it fell quite as low as 27-4, 

 or even lower. It is a matter of regret, that the state of the Thermo- 

 meter was not noted. The hurricane will likely be found to have 

 crossed the Persian Gulf, in about the latitude and longitude of 

 Bahrin. 



I subjoin an Extract from the Log of the Barque Chieftain, which 

 vessel you will observe was not far from the Seaton on the 31st. 



29th October.— Lat. 7° 52' N. Long 55° 54' E. Light airs, cloudy 

 weather, sea calm. 



* This is without correction for the altitude of the stitim. 



3 D 



