1850.] Nineteenth Memoir on the Law of Storms, 363 



fine weather of the 20th it is supposed, as the exact time is not given). At 1 1, 

 hard squalls and a high sea Bar. 29.35. 



22wd April. — Preparing for bad weather. Noon hard gales and high sea, 

 wind veering to the Eastward. Lat. Acct. 9° 10' S. ; Long, about p. M.|severe 

 gales E. N. E. threatening weather and dismal appearance. At 4, wind East ; 

 at 6, E. S. E.; at 10, S. E. Close reefing and battening down hatches and making 

 all preparations for a hurricane. 4 p. m. Bar. 29.20. Gale increasing with 

 violent gusts. 



23rd April — At 2 a. m. hove to ; Bar. 29.18; at 5, gale increasing to a 

 hurricane and veering to the Southward. 5.30 ship on her beam ends with the 

 lee rail buried in the water. Cut away the mizen mast and quarter boats and 

 hove some cargo overboard. Wind veering fast to S. W. but blowing with 

 indescribable violence. Bar. 29.15. At 4.30 a. m. Bar. 29.32; but abating ; 

 noon Bar. 29.40. p. m. strong breezes S. b. W. and South, and S. b. E. at 

 midnight. 



24^ April— Fine. Noon Lat. Obs. 10° 44' S. ; Long. 81° 24' east; wind 

 S. b. E. 



In addition to his Log, Capt. Castor has farther obliged me with the 

 following notes : — 



From the 20th April to the morning preceding the hurricane the winds pre- 

 vailed mostly from N. W. to N. with a long swell rolling to the Southward from 

 the N. E. with hard squalls, accompanied with heavy showers of rain. The wind 

 gradually veered from N. N. E. to E. and S. E. ending with indescribable fury 

 at S. to S. W. The moon was encircled with an immense halo which had 

 the appearance of a dense cloud for three successive days before the Cyclone ; 

 the light of the moon, and stars was uncommonly brilliant during the existence 

 of the halo, a great oppression in the atmosphere was felt. Sky at night almost 

 cloudless, the wind never shifted in this hurricane, but veered gradually, the sea 

 ran high, and rain poured down in torrents,accompanied with violent gusts every 

 fifteen to twenty minutes. Bar. two days previous to the hurricane stood at 

 29.70, and fell gradually with the state of the weather to 29.15; and remained 

 at that range during the height of the storm. It began to rise an hour or two 

 before the worse part abated. After the hurricane the winds prevailed for two 

 days from the southward and westward, light and variable, with a long swell 

 from the S. E. 



N. B. — The wind was stronger than in the hurricane experienced on the 16th 

 of November, 1839, when Coringa was inundated, but the sea less. I remember 

 the wind in that storm shifted from four to six points, but in this it veered gra- 

 dually. 



