366 Twelfth Memoir on the Law of Storms in India. £No. 161. 



gusts most awful, and rudder gone. At 1-30 a.m. felt the ship strike, 

 and considered the destruction of our lives, as well as ship, sealed ; but 

 it pleased Almighty God to decree otherwise, for although the ship fill- 

 ed up to the lower beams with water, she was thrown so high on the 

 reef that the water became smooth, and the bilge pieces keeping her 

 upright, she lay comparatively quiet. Not knowing our position, the 

 ship being bilged, and fearful of her beating over the reef into deep 

 water let go the larboard bower anchor and found the water leaving 

 her. All hands fell asleep. 



Day-break, hurricane breaking, much rain, wind ESE. Bar. rising 

 rapidly until it stood at 29.45 ; we then, thank God, saw the loom of 

 the shore to leeward, the ship being nearly dry abaft ; on its clearing 

 away we saw inside of us, up among the trees, a large barque with 

 troops on board ; one officer and twelve men were sent over the stern 

 to communicate with her. At 7 a.m. the tide now rising, orders were 

 given for the men to land at next low water, and if possible to get 

 something cooked, as no fires could be kept in during the hurricane, 

 the crew and troops merely having biscuit and a glass of spirits dur- 

 ing the time it lasted. 3-30 p m. the tide having fallen sufficiently 

 to wade on shore, ensign Dabernt returned on board, and stated the 

 vessel in shore of us to be the " Briton,*' from Sydney, with three 

 hundred and eleven men, thirty-four women, and fifty-one children, 

 of H„ M. 80th Regt. under the command of Major Bunbury, with a 

 crew of thirty-six men, bound for Calcutta, and short of every thing. 



N. B. — Captain Doutty informs me that the Thermometer at the 

 lowest of the Barometer was at 84°, and that he considers the average 

 drift of the vessel not to have exceeded three miles per hour. On shore 

 nearly all the trees had fallen to the S. Westward, shewing that there 

 the gale had been about NE. at its greatest height. 



Ships Blundell and Appolline. Between 9th and 18M 

 November. 



The Blundell was between the parallels of 2° and 12° North, and 

 the meridians of 90° 32' and 92° East, with nothing but calms and 

 light airs. 



Between the 9th and \9th. — The Appolline was in from Lat. 4° 48' 

 to Lat. 15° 1' with light winds and fine weather. On the 12th only 





