1852.] A Twenty-first Memoir on the Law of Storms, 323 



On the 2nd May, — We have on this day H. M. S. Fox, the Mary 

 Ann, Joseph Manook, and Atalanta all within a short distance of each 

 other, with smart gales and squalls more or less severe (that of H. M. 

 S. Fox being of force 9) from N. N. W. to N. b. W. so that we may- 

 take the centre of the Cyclone, for it had now formed or descended as 

 such, to have been bearing E. N. E. from a point in about the centre 

 of their various positions. I, of course, assume the log of H. M. S, 

 Fox, as being a perfectly correct one, but I do not lay down the centre 

 as bearing exactly E. N. E. from her, though she had the wind at noon 

 N. N. W. because it is one of the peculiarities of this Cyclone that 

 the wind throughout is described as fluctuating as much as from four 

 to six points with most of the ships, which I shall subsequently 

 remark upon. 



The Cyclone, however, was of very limited extent, for we find the 

 Catherine Apcar, the log of which ship is perfectly well kept, at only 

 150 miles E. N. E. of H. M, S. Fox, with variable airs and calms, 

 though the Hannah, 80 miles to the S. b. E. of the Fox, has an 

 increasing gale with tremendous squalls, and the wind Westerly " vary- 

 ing two points each way." 



This estimate, for we can call it nothing better, will place the centre 

 for this day in Lat. 10° 40' North, Long. 82° 25' East; but it gives 

 the Joseph Manook and Atalanta the wind at North, while it is 

 stated to have been N. N. W. by their logs ; but then, as will be subse- 

 quently adverted to, the winds in this Cyclone appear to have been so 

 unsettled, i. e. to have had so much incurving in the squalls, that it is 

 impossible to lay down any positive centre from them. 



On the 3rd May, — We have H. M. S. Fox, which ship had been 

 standing to the N. Eastward (that is into the heart of the Cyclone,) 

 as much as the gale allowed her, bearing up in a complete hurricane, at 

 9.45 a. m. to save her masts ; and at Noon in Lat. 10° 21' N., Long. 

 82° 46' with the wind marked in the log W. S. W. at Noon, and W. 

 N. W. at 7 p. m., a difference of 4 points in the hour, and it flies 

 back again to W. S. W. at 3 p. m. ! Hence we can only take the average 

 of West as representing the wind at Noon, but it was evidently very 

 heavy, and the Fox was making very bad weather of it. 



The next ship to her, the Atalanta, was also close on the South side 

 of the centre, and though she had not the calm, yet her log describes 



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