836 Eighteenth Memoir on the Law of Storms. [Aug. 



moderate and cloudy; Bar. 29.71. Out 2nd reefs. A number of birds flew on 

 board, Snipes, Ringdoves, &c. ; 2 a. m. strong breeze with thick weather and 

 much rain; Noon Barometer falling to 29.40 ; Simpiesometer 29.12; weather 

 very thick with hard squalls and constant heavy rain. Noon hove to under 

 main try-sail and main stay-sail on larboard tack. Lat. 16° 51'; Long. D. R. 

 88° 23' ; p. m. wind W. N. Westerly ; weather very threatening, blowing a 

 heavy gale with very hard squalls; 3 p. m. Bar. 29.27; Simp. 29.08; down 

 top gallant yards and masts ; 4 p. m. Bar. 29.20 ; 5, blowing very hard. Ship 

 not moving ahead, but making as far as could be judged, about 3 knots bodily 

 to leeward ; 5 p.m. wind veering to West and W. S. W. ; 7 p. m. gale still 

 increasing, squalls very heavy. In trysail ; under bare poles; the squalls blow- 

 ing a perfect hurricane ; midnight wind S. S. W. Bar. 29.36. 



Oct. \3th. — a. m. Blowing very hard, squalls heavier, very high sea; a per- 

 fect hurricane; 4 a. m. Bar. 29.48 ; 5, rather more moderate but still blowing 

 very heavy. At 6 wind S. S. E. Noon fresh gale and hard squalls, Lat. 

 Obs. 17°52 / N.; Long. 89°14'; Bar. 29.58; Simp, 29.30 ; Ther. 82 9 ; p. m. 

 wind S. S. E. ; 5.15 more moderate and fine; bore up north; midnight strong 

 unsteady breeze with hard squalls and much vivid forked lightning. 



Oct. \Ath. — a. m. wind S. S. Jl. Increasing again to a gale; hove to again 

 after making 84' to the north ; 6 h. 45 a. m. Bar. 29.65. Bore up again ; 

 Noon Lat. 19°43'N.; Long. 88° 44' East; Bar. 29.70; Simp. 29.40; 

 Ther. 84^; 4 p. m. weather again thick; hove too again, 



Oct. 15th. — Wind S. W.; 11 a. m. Ran into the light vessel. Signal to, 

 stand to sea ; passed many disabled ships. On 16th got the Pilot. 



By the attention of Capt. Vaile, I am enabled to add to the capital 

 log of the Barham, and to the valuable lesson in Cyclonology which it 

 affords, his remarks upon the signs of the approaching Cyclone so well 

 observed and so carefully recorded in it. 



The first of these is the red sky, a phenomenon well known in the 

 Mauritius hurricanes and in the China Sea* Tyfoons, but which was 

 not yet known in those of the Bay of Bengal, or perhaps does not often 

 occur. In this case too we have the singular, and for scientific pur^ 

 poses, very valuable peculiarity that it occurred at night ! viz. from two 

 to four a. m. and at a time when the moon was shining as brightly as 

 it could for the clouds ; it being the day before the full moon, when she 

 had at that time an altitude of 40 or 50 degrees. 



Capt. Vaile states that at this time the whole sky was clouded with 

 dense heavy looking clouds, more of which were opposite to, than on the 



* See Sailor's Horn Book where all that is known of this phenomenon is statecL 



