1845. J Fourteenth Memoir on the Law of Storms in India. 889 



down, but the fury of the gale was to the Southward, and what is very 

 remarkable, is, that although the strength of the hurricane was about 

 the Hindoostan's position, yet a vessel arrived at Trincomallee that was 

 off the Basses on the 1st, and she was perfectly becalmed, yet the 

 Ceylon paper states, that it blew hard at Point de Galle. The Master 

 could not tell me the range of the Spiteful 's barometer. However, the 

 reports I send you, shew that this gale extended from several degrees 

 East of Ceylon, across that Island to Tuticoreen, Tinevelly, and Oota- 

 camund on the Neilgherries, and to Quilon on the Malabar Coast, 

 where I suspect it was confined within a narrow compass, in a North 

 and South direction. It was squally off Calicut, but was scarcely felt 

 at Tellicherry. The H. C. Sloop of War Coote, struck on the reef off 

 Calicut on the 1st, and the foul weather on the 3rd broke her up. 



iS We were apprehensive of bad weather here, as the surf was high 

 with a turbulent sea, heavy clouds all gathering in the SE. and as 

 a ship came in from the Northward on the 2nd and experienced very 

 fine weather, and our Steamer the Hindoostan had not arrived, I was 

 clearly of opinion, that she had encountered a gale to the Southward, 

 and so it proved to be the case. We had very threatening weather 

 on the 16th, I prepared the shipping by signal to " prepare to slip and 

 put to sea." Barometer fell from 30° to 29° 88', however, although the 

 clouds portended wind and rain, we had but little of either. On the 

 25th and 26th, barometer ranging from 30° 10' to 30° 18', we had the 

 heaviest fall of rain we have experienced this year, and serious alarms 

 are happily relieved by that providential downfall, but how are we 

 to account for such a dense atmosphere, and so much rain, without 

 the mercury indicating so great a change ? The sympiesometer also 

 rose a day or two before, and continued steady — there was but little 

 wind throughout, the weather was close and the thermometer higher 

 than usual at this season, viz. from 78° to 82°. 



" A large ship under jury masts was seen off Trincomalee on the 19th 

 instant. Capt. Maitland steamed out of the harbour at daylight, on 

 the following day intending to offer assistance, but the stranger was 

 out of sight, and the Spiteful having but few coals, and none in store at 

 Trincomallee ! Capt. Maitland was reluctantly compelled to put back. 

 The ship Robert Small, homeward bound, sailed from these roads on 

 Saturday evening the 29th, and must I think, have run right into the 



