276 Seventeenth Memoir on the Law of Storms. [March, 



Abstract summary of the Logs of the 1st Division, 7th July 1797. — Noon, Lat. 

 17°21' N. ; Long. Chr. 126°20' East ; Bar. 29.27 ; Ther. 80, Wind N. E. by N. 

 Confused swell and suspicious weather, moderate breeze, increasing p. m. to a 

 hurricane at N. N. E. and N. b. E. ; at midnight with a mountainous sea ; under 

 trysails and bare poles; 8 p. m. Bar. had fallen to 29.24. In the remarks I shall 

 quote from the Buccleugh's Log is an instance of the Red Sky. 



8th July, a. m. Wind N. E. b. E. Dark threatening weather and increasing 

 gale with two ships; with Buccleugh, N. N. W., blowing a hurricane with 

 hard varying gusts ;* Noon centre of the three ships which were at least 18 or 20 

 miles apart in Lat. 17°6' ; Long. 126.9 ; Bar. of Cuffnells and Buccleugh, 28.55. 

 Ther. 79°; 0.30 p. m. Buccleugh's Bar. sunk with the calm to 28.40. At 0.30' 

 p. m. a calm, after which at about 2.% p. m. a shift of wind as follows : 



Cuffnells N. E. to W. b. N. veering to S. S. E. at 5 p. m. 



Buccleugh N. N. W. to S. S. W. 



Taunton Castle N. b. W. S. S. W. 

 Blowing a hurricane again and hauling to southward towards midnight, with 

 a confused sea; 9 p. m. Lightning in the S. E. Of the shift Taunton Castle says : — 

 " A little after noon the wind suddenly died away and the sea much down? 

 but it was the shortest interval of moderate weather I ever knew after a hard gale, 

 for in two hours, i. e. at 2 p. m. there came on such a violent storm that the 

 oldest seamen on board said they never knew it blow so hard before." 



9th July. — From midnight decreasing somewhat to strong gales S. E. Noon 

 Lat. 17o 26' N. ; Long. 125° 5'. Bar. 29.08 ; Ther. 79 ; p. m. to midnight de- 

 creasing always from S. S. E. after which fine weather and Northerly wind, this 

 division was hove to throughout this Cyclone, the Buccleugh havinglost her rudder* 



Abstract summary of the Logs of the 2nd Division, 



This Division consisted as before, of the ten East Indiamen and some Botany 

 Bay ships, and from the last Cyclone had had moderate weather till on the 8th 

 July, 1797, at Noon, when in 18° 38' N. ; Long. 125° 33' East; the breeze which 

 had been preceded by a swell from the S. E. and S. S. E. increased from the 

 E. N. E. to a fresh gale E. b. N. with a high confused sea. The True Briton's 

 Bar. which on the 7th at Noon was at 29.80, had fallen to 29.62 ; Ther. 85° ; 

 and at 2p.m,, the fleet hove to till midnight. 



9th July. — a. m. wind veering slowly to E. S. E. and by Noon to S. E. Fleet 

 lying to with strong gale and high sea. At Noon Lat. 18° 52' ; Long. 125° 8' E. ; 

 True Briton's Barometer 29.40. At midnight wind was still about S. E. b. S. 



* Owing no doubt to the incurving of the wind close on the centre ; and the dif- 

 ference of winds is what should occur with scattered ships but just in sight of each 

 other at most. 



