1851.] A Twentieth Memoir on the Law of Storms, 



19 



Ship John Macvicar, 26th April, 1850. 

 H. K. F. Course, Wind, 



8 





s. s. w. 



9 







9 







9 



4 





8 



4 





8 



4 





8 



4 





8 



4 





8 







8 







8 







8 







N. E. 



N. N. E. 



10 



n 



12 



Estimated, noon. 



Lat. 17.21' N. 



Long. 87.46* E. 



Bar. 29. 0* 



Simp. 28.90' 



Ther. 80. 0' 



North. 

 N. W. 



"At 2 a. m. commenced with fresh gale, dark 

 cloudy weather and drizzling rain. At 4, increas- 

 ing to a gale, with hard squalls and heavy rain, 

 furled the mainsail, and double reefed the topsails. 

 The Barometer falling very much, and the gale 

 increased to a storm, with severe squalls and heavy 

 rain, and the sea getting up mountains high. Furled 

 the mizen topsail. Sounding the well constantly, 

 but no apparent increase of water in it. At 10, a 

 terrific sea struck the starboard quarter, and carried 

 away the quarter-boat. At 11, increasing to a 

 hurricane with an overwhelming sea breaking over 

 fore and aft. Bar. and Simp, falling and now 

 _down to 29.10. Scudding in the hope of running 

 out of it,* at great risk of being pooped which finally occurred and was a 

 second time repeated. At " the climax of the hurricane" (at 11 a. m. as marked 

 in the log) a sudden shift of wind from North to N. W. broached her to and 

 blew all the sails from the yards. Laid too on the starboard tack and at 

 4.40 p. m. the Bar. and Simp, began to rise and the hurricane to abate but the 

 sea was still as high as before. Just as the Barometer began to rise we had 

 terrific loud thunder and vivid forked lightning. The mizen mast was struck 

 but not much injured. 



Abridged Log of the Ship Duke of Wellington, Captain Duncan ; 

 from Calcutta to London. Reduced to Civil Time. 



From the 17th April, 1850, when the Pilot left us until noon of the 21st, 

 we stood to the S. S. E. and S. E. with light S. Westerly winds. Lat. at 

 noon of that day 16° 50' North; Long. 89° 55' East; Bar. 30° 00'; Simp. 

 29° 80' ; Ther. 84<>. 



On the 22nd April, we had light airs and hot sultry weather, wind veering 

 from W. S. W. and N. W. to N. E. and East. Lat. Obs. 1 6<> 15' ; Long. 89<> 

 42'; Bar. 30.20; Simp. 29.77; Ther. 860. p. m. light airs and fine clear 

 weather, towards sunset the sky to the Westward was covered with streaks of 

 light hazy clouds of a deep red colour while the intervening sky was of a light 

 green ;f darkening in shade towards the horizon. 



* They were scudding to cross in front of it, and doing so too closely, as will be 

 shewn in the summary. 



t The green sky noted here was probably only what is called in optics the sub- 



D 2 



