324 Account of a Cyclone in the Andaman Sea. [No. 4. 



and by popularising knowledge by which to avoid their dangers. I 

 have no doubt that he would, with his large experience, have done 

 better justice to the subject than I can hope to do, and I am happy 

 to avail myself of this opportunity to pay tribute to his memory. 



The Cyclone of the 9fch and 10th April deserves particular atten- 

 tion as it followed a direction differing from the common course of 

 Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, or in the tropical latitudes generally 

 on the northern hemisphere. This course is usually from the south 

 of east to the north of west, but the Cyclone of the 9th and 10th 

 travelled from the south of west to the north of east — (a direction 

 which we are accustomed to see the Cyclones assume only after 

 they have passed the northern tropic) — passing from the north end 

 of the Andamans to the main land and touching the coast a little 

 south-east of Cape JNfegrais. 



In drawing up this account, I am in a great measure indebted to 

 the kind assistance of Capt. Campbell, I. N., whose experience has 

 guided me where I was deficient in nautical knowledge. 



The Semiramis left Port Blair (11° 41' north latitude, 92° 45' east 

 longitude) on the 7th of April for Maulmain. The wind had been 

 blowing from E. N. E., E.,and E. S. E. for the whole fortnight previous 

 to our departure, conveying large summer clouds across the Island. 

 On the 6th, the clouds thickened with much lightning, and occasion- 

 al showers fell, and on the morning of the 7th, the sky was overcast 

 and rainy. Soon after we had left Port Blair on the 7th, the wind 

 turned to south-east with rain and squalls and lightning to south- 

 ward, but on the morning of the 8th had changed to the north-east, 

 the weather clearing a little. During the day it went to the north 

 and west of north and in the night returned to north-east, from 

 which quarter it continued until we approached Amherst, where we 

 anchored at 1 p. m. on the 9th. Here the wind changed through 

 E. to S. E. during the afternoon of the 9th, the squally weather 

 continuing. During the night with much lightning to the south- 

 east and south the wind increased considerably in force (from 4 to 

 8 and 9) turning to S. and blowing a gale on the forenoon of the 

 10th with occasional squalls of rain, but no increase of clouds or 

 unusual electric phenomena during the day, blue patches of the sky 

 being occasionally visible. 



