1852.] A Twenty first Memoir on the Law of Storms, 299 



AT MADRAS. 



The following are the various documents forwarded to me by Capt. 

 Biden or published by him in the newspapers and abridged to suit our pur- 

 pose where necessary. The Cyclone was felt only as a severe Northerly, 

 N. Westerly, Westerly and South Westerly gale at Madras, but of suffi- 

 cient severity and menacing appearance to order all the ships to sea from 

 the roads. 



" Sunday afternoon, the 4th May, became more squally than we have 

 already described this morning, and the glass showed a downward tendency 

 throughout ; although, with us at any rate, it did not fall rapidly till 

 after one a. m. on Monday the 5th, between which and 4 o'clock it 

 reached its lowest depression, 29.110. Soon after 3, the wind began to 

 blow in violent gusts, increasing to a gale as day drew on. At the Observa- 

 tory, its greatest force was between 8 and 9 o'clock a. m., but it appeared 

 most violent with us, and certainly did all the mischief done, some time 

 before that. This, however, was at a distance of five miles from the 

 Observatory, and judging from the much greater damage sustained in our 

 neighbourhood, as regards the levelling and rending of trees, the stripping 

 of hedges, the mutilating and killing of birds, &c, we should infer that 

 the wind was stronger, as well as earlier in its visit to us, than at the spot 

 of official observation. This remark applies indeed to the Presidency 

 generally, where only the gardens seem to have suffered. 



" The amount of rain that fell during Sunday night and Monday morning, 

 was very great for the time of year. Below we give the Observatory 

 record, but whether it indicates as much as fell in parts to the North West 

 of Madras, since the country was far more flooded than we have before 

 seen it after a similar amount of fall. 





Rain, 







Wind. 





Inches. 







Direction and Force. 



May 2nd— 



0.298 



N. 



N. 



E. Gentle breeze. 



„ 3rd— 



3.822 



N. 



by 



E. Fresh breeze. 



„ 4th— 



2.890 



N. 



N. 



W . Strong breeze . 



„ 5th— 



11.445 



S. 



by 



W. Squall and gale 



Total— 18.455 

 " At 6 p. m. on the 4th there was a heavy sea on, the rollers breaking 

 amongst the Dhonies and beyond 5 fathoms, and the surf had much in- 

 creased — whilst a rapid scud and other threatening indications seemed to 

 be the precursor of a severe gale. The Barometer was then at 29.464 and 

 the wind North." 



2d 



