372 Twelfth Memoir on the Law of Storms in India. [No. 161. 



Summary. 



I have already remarked that on the 8th of November the weather 

 was fine for all the ships, none of which were to the North of Lat. 10°, 

 and we find on the 9th that the Dido was dismasted about the centre 

 of the hurricane, at 1 1 a.m. on that day, and by noon the calm centre 

 had passed her, and she was again in a hurricane atSW. This vessel's 

 position therefore, and we have it most accurately fixed, (having for- 

 tunately in Commander Vyner, R. N. who was passenger on board of 

 her, an independent observer, who would make every allowance in his 

 notes for what might escape the Captain and officers,) gives us the place 

 of the centre of the storm on that day as being a little to the N. West 

 of her. The storm circle at this time must have been of extremely small 

 extent, for it had but just reached the Clown, which vessel was 

 only twenty miles distant from the Dido, which would make the circle 

 less than 40 miles in diameter; but the Clown had the usual warning 

 of a rapidly veering wind, and a tremendous heavy sea, and the tornado, 

 for so we might almost call it for its size, was fortunately moving ra- 

 pidly on, so that by her heaving to at night with the SSW. gale she 

 fortunately escaped running into the worst part of the tempest. I have 

 thus given the circle for this day a diameter of sixty miles only, which 

 will just include the Clown. The hurricane for this day indeed re- 

 markably resembles that of the Cashmere Merchant, described in my 

 Second Memoir, Journal Asiatic Society, Vol. IX, p. 433, which also 

 occurred near the Preparis, and some of those which (see Tenth Memoir, 

 Journal Asiatic Society, Vol. XIII, page 113,) also arise off the coast 

 of Ceylon. For the centre of the storm circle on the 10th, we have 

 the estimated position of the Briton, which ship after running up 121 

 miles to the NWbN. the exact course upon which she should have 

 chased the hurricane if she had meant to do so, found herself obliged, 

 at 6 a.m. to heave to close to the centre, into which she had drifted 

 at noon ; having sunk her Simpiesometer from 29.20 at 4 a.m. to 28.30 

 at 6, her estimated position at noon being 11° I' N. 95° 12'E. and the 

 lull occurring just at this time. The Runnymede, which vessel had also 

 been tempted by the treacherous fair wind, and run up ti® miles to the 

 NWbN. though with a falling Barometer, was about fifty miles to the 



