1845.] Twelfth Memoir on the Law of Storms in India. 365 



gusts; brought ship to wind on larboard tack. At 8-15 hurricane as 

 heavy as before. At 8-30 the larboard quarter boat was torn from 

 the davits and blown across the poop, carrying away the binnacle, and 

 crushing the hen-coops on its passage. At 9 r.M. wind if possible in- 

 creasing, the foremast broke into three pieces carrying away with it 

 the jiboom, main and mizen top-masts, starboard cathead, and main 

 yard, the main and mizen masts alone standing. At 10 p.m. the wind 

 and rain so severe that the men could not hold on the poop, bail- 

 ing the water from between decks which is forced down the hatches, 

 but the ship is quite tight, and proving herself to be a fine sea boat. 

 The pumps attended to, drawing out the water forced down hatches, 

 mast coats, and top-sides forwards. 



Monday, Wth November. — Hurricane equally severe; wind SE. 

 Bar. 28.0; the gusts so terriCc mixed with drift and rain, that no 

 one could stand on deck ; advantage was therefore taken of the lulls to 

 drain the ship out and clear the wreck. The starboard bower anchor 

 hanging only by the shank painter and the stock (iron) working into 

 the ship's side, the chain was unshackled and the anchor cut away. 

 Noon Lat. account 11° 6' N., Long. 95° 20' E. No observations since 

 the 7th. Bar. apparently rose a little. Hurricane equally severe in the 

 gusts, the ship perfectly unmanageable from her crippled state, but 

 riding like a sea bird over a confused sea running apparently from 

 every point of the compass. A large Barque with loss of top- masts 

 and main yard drifted ahead of us, and a Brig was seen to leeward 

 totally dismasted. At 4 p.m. Bar. fell to 27-70, and Cummin's mine- 

 ral Simpiesometer left the index tube. Hurricane blowing terrifically, 

 the front of the poop to leeward, cabin door and sky-lights torn away, 

 and expecting every moment the poop to be torn off her. The severity 

 of the wind is beyond description, there is nothing to compare it to, for, 

 unless present, no one could conceive the destructive power and weight 

 of wind crushing every thing before it as if it were a metallic body.* 

 At 1 p.m. no abatement, every one, sailor and soldier, doing all in their 

 power to keep the ship free of water, could not stand at the pumps ; the 

 water being principally in the 'tween decks it was bailed out by the 

 soldiers as much as possible. 



Tuesday, 12th November.-^M'idmght, hurricane equally severe, the 



* This is a very remarkable passage, which I have put in italics, as conveying an ex- 

 cellent idea of what the force of these terrific hurricanes is. 



