32 Fifteenth Memoir on the Law of Storms. [Jan. 



Abridgment of a journal of the Ship Mermaid, signed by her commander 



Capt. J. B. Rogers, and officers ; the Log Book being lost with her. 



(Civil time.) 



The ship Mermaid was bound down the coast, and having sprung a 

 leak was finally beached a letter below Vingorla. 



16th April. — p. m. ship standing to theS. E. with the sea breeze, in 

 from 18 to 26 fms. At 5 p. m. Mangalore east 8 miles. Midnight fresh 

 land breeze and hazy. 



17 th April. — a. m. Barometer 29.84 ; by 8,30 fresh gale and squalls. 

 At noon an increasing hard gale about S. E. in 35 fms. Bar. 29.60. ; 

 No observation. Vessel leaky ; 3 p. m. Bar. 29.50, 1 to 5 wind S. E. ; 

 f> South ; at 4h cut away mizenmast. 4h 30 put back for Bombay ; 5 p. 

 m. Bar. 29.42, heavy gale and cloudy, ship running to the N. W. and 

 N. W. b. N. to midnight. 



18th April. — a. m. Heavy gale with thunder, lightning and rain. 

 4 a. m. Bar. 29.36. Noon 29.34, and in 28 fms. water. No obser- 

 vation, p. m. steady fresh gale W. S. W., ship running to the N. N. 

 \V. A\ and 5 knots. Barometer 29.38. Sunset passed a large ship (the 

 Buckinghamshire^) Bar. 29. 38 ; by 6 p. M.wind W. by S. ; severe squalls, 

 thunder, lightning and rain ; midnight in 29 fms. 



19th April. — a. m. More moderate ;4a,m. wind west, and at noon 

 obliged to beach the ship for the safety of lives and cargo. 



A letter from the Collector of Mangalore, forwarded by the Bombay 

 Chamber of Commerce, says that — 



"The gale set in on the 16th from the S. W. or regular monsoon 

 quarter, and was at first supposed to have been an unusually early com- 

 mencement of the rainy season. It continued for about three days,* 

 accompanied with torrents of rain, veering round, at particular points of 

 the coast, to all quarters of the compass. 



Extracts from various logs of coasting vessels. From the Gnvernment 



of Bombay . 



The ketch Ceylon Island was on the 12th April within 25 miles of 

 Colombo, but was blown off by a smart gale from E. S. E. She then 

 stood in for Colombo, and on the 15th (Nautical time) got the wind blow- 

 ing " tremendously" from S. E., which on the 16th blew away her top- 

 masts and all her sails, while running before it to the N. W. This conti- 

 nued on the 1 7th, also from S. E. On the 18th, Lat. Obs. 9ol4. N. 

 * Italics are mine. 



