526 Sixteenth Memoir on the Law of Storms. [June, 



eight points of the wind- circle in the fourteen hours, and of these 7 

 points, or from E. b. S. at 8 a. m. to South at Noon, are marked in the 

 last 4 hours of this interval ; the Bar. is also marked at this time at 

 28.95. If the storm was really formed and coming down, as we have 

 now supposed, its rate of progression at this time was 15^ miles per 

 hour, which is not excessive, and the " terrific gusts threatening to dis- 

 mast the vessel" " with the sea running tremendously in every direction," 

 are exactly the weather and sea to be now looked for. We find that 

 in the interval from Noon to 2 p. m. the wind was W. S. W. to W- 

 b. N., at 6 W. N. W. ; and at 9 N. N. W. to midnight, the Barometer 

 being "inclined to rise ;" at 4 p. m. and at 6 it is marked 29.30. 

 The wind continues up to midnight at N. N. W. From this it would 

 seem that the vessel from being close upon the centre* which passed 

 close astern (to the Eastward) of her, at noon was drifted rapidly into and 

 round the Northern semicircle, and had the centre by 9 p. m. bearing W. 

 S. W. of her position, the wind being then steady about N. W. to mid- 

 night. She may possibly have been carried now to the Southward by 

 the storm-wave, as she might have been before to the Northward, by 

 the same cause, being so close upon the centre. The track, as I have 

 before explained, is marked in a straight line, but it does not follow that 

 it really was one. The storm does not appear on this day to have 

 reached the Grand Dusquesne, which vessel, at noon 26th, was at 280 

 miles from the Orient. 



On the 27th March at midnight, we have the Orient at 1 A. m. with 

 the wind still N. N. W., the Barometer and Simpiesometer rising a 

 little. At 5 a. m. it is said to be "moderating fast," the Barometer 

 having risen one-tenth since midnight, and by 9 A. m. it had risen to 

 29.65, and the Simpiesometer to 29.55. The ship now bore up and ran 

 15 ; to the S. b. W. but by 11 a. m. Capt. Wales prudently hove to, 

 again, the Barometer having] fallen to 29.60, and Simpiesometer to 

 29.50, with very threatening weather and a high confused sea. At 6 

 p. m. the Barometer had not risen and the wind was still at North. 

 At 9 she bore up again with the wind still at North. I shall remark 

 presently on the peculiarity of the wind remaining so long at North 



* The reader will recollect not only that the centre (or focus) is of course an imagi- 

 nary point or space, but moreover that it is probable that while many circular storms 

 have no central calm space, some have a very wide one. In time wc shall no doubt be 

 able to class these varieties of hurricanes. 



