1854*.] A Twenty-second Memoir on the Law of Storms. 41 



S. East. Hard gale and severe squalls. At 1 a. m. hurricane ; 1.30, 

 vessel on her beam ends, cut away all the backstays. At 1.45 to 2 

 a. m. vessel upset with her masts iu the water. Chief officer and 

 Captain both washed overboard. Chief officer regained the vessel 

 but the Captain perished. Vessel righted by the masts going. Cut 

 away the wreck as far as possible. Hurricane continuing to 4 a.m.; 

 at 5, gradually abating to a moderate hard gale ; at 6 a fresh gale ; 

 at 7, wind West ; noon wind S. W. moderate breeze and heavy swell. 



Summary. 



The only records we have hitherto of Cyclones in this part of the 

 Bay of Bengal are, the Cashmere Merchant's Hurricane off the Pre- 

 paris 21st Nov. 1840, described in my Second Memoir (Journal As. 

 Soc. Vol. IX. p. 433) and the Briton and Runnymede* s Cyclone of 

 Nov. 1845 (Twelfth Memoir, Journ. As. Soc. Vol. XIV.) : and it is 

 remarkable that this very severe one also occurs iu the same month ; 

 in which also the French ship Petite Nancy was dismasted in the 

 latitude of Cape Negrais and between Long. 90° and 91° East. It 

 follows therefore that the seaman should be warily upon his guard 

 in this vicinity in the month of November. I proceed to state the 

 reasons on which the track of this Cyclone has been assigned ; begin* 

 ning with the Cowasjee Family which ship was at 7 P. M. on the 

 17th in sight of Narcondam, and but a few miles to the "Westward 

 of it at 9.30 p. m. when it was blowing a severe gale, which at 

 about half-past 10 p. m. "flew round" to S. East having been before 

 at N. East if the log is correctly marked. We may thus suppose 

 that, as it was now blowing with hurricane violence, this was the 

 centre of the Cyclone passing between Narcondam and the Anda- 

 man, and very close to the ship at that time. 



We next find the same shift, apparently, from the imperfect account 

 of the Jamsetjee at daylight on the 18th, and that the ship was 

 drifting with the S. East gale till noon, when she anchored near the 

 Cocos Islands, through which channel she drifted when the wind 

 veered to S. W. so that we may suppose, she also was close to the 

 centre, which thus passed in a N.N. W. direction over the Cocos Is- 

 lands, travelling about fifty miles in seven hours and a half at this time. 



We have next the log of the John Adam, which ship was approach- 

 ing the Preparis passage from the Westward, but, as it appears from 

 her log, was able to carry her top gallant sails till 8 p. m., but at 



o 



