1854.] A Twenty -third Memoir on tlie Law of Storms, 507 



so much. Noon the same swell. Lat. Obs. 17° 4' N. ; Long. Chr. 90° 33' E. ; 

 Bar. 29.93; Ther. 86°; Current S. \ W. 20' in the 24h. p. m. wind South 

 ship running 6 and 7 knots to the N. b. W. with a heavy cross sea from 

 W. N. W. to S. W. rolling gunwales under and masts in constant danger;* 

 at 5 Bar. 29.95; at 6, 29.88; at 8, 29.90; midnight 29.88. Strong gales 

 South ; cloudy, and very heavy turbulent sea. 



22nd Oct. — a. M. strong gales South and cloudy, turbulent cross sea, 4 

 a. m. Bar. 29.89 ; 6 a. m. Bar. 29.88. Fresh gales and passing squalls 

 with a dark threatening appearance to W. S. W. 8 A. m. Bar. 29.90. 

 Close reefing. Noon strong gales and a tremendous cross sea. Lat. Obs. 

 19°39'N.; Long. Chr. 89° 55' E. Bar. 29.88; Ther. 86°; Current S. E. b. 

 E. 16 miles, p. m. ship steering 7 knots to the N. b. W. | West strong gales 

 S. S. W. course N. W. \ W. 7 knots to 4 p. m. when hove to. Bar. 2 p. m. 

 29.88 ; 4, 29.88 ; at 6, 29.84 ; at 8, 29.87 ; midnight 29.85. Hard gales and 

 tremendous sea from S. W. to west. 



23rd Oct.— a. m. Bar. 29.82; 4 a. m. 29.84. Daylight hard gale S. to 

 S. S. W. and high sea Bar. 29.88. Noon the same and sea as before S. W. 

 to west ; Lat. Obs. 20° 1 1' N. ; Long. Chr. 89° 41' E. ; Bar. 29.85 ; Ther. 84°. 

 p. m. wind S. S. W. to S. W. Lying to as before, sea the same ; 2 p. m 

 Bar. 29.80 ; at 3, 29.76 dark gloomy appearances to West and increasing sea ; 

 at 6, Bar. 29.76. A strange phenomenon appeared all at once. The sky 

 from west, northerly, to north easterly, assumed a lurid hue like fire and conti- 

 nued to appear so for about three quarters of an hour.f At 8, Bar. 29.78. 

 tremendous sea continuing; midnight Bar. 29.84. 



24^ Oct.— 4 a. m. Bar. 29.00; moderating; 5 a. m. wind S. W. to West 

 sea going down fast; Noon Lat. Obs. 19° 54'; Long. Chr. 90° 24'; Bar. 

 29.10; Ther. 65°, fresh breeze and cloudy. 



Abridged Log (from a tabular Extract) of the Ship Lord Petre, 

 Copt. MiDDLETOtf 3i /r0w the Mauritius bound to Calcutta. 



2\st Oct.— At Noon in 19° 20' North Lat. ; Long. 89° 54' East. Wind 

 S. W. to S. b. E. South and S. b. E. light vessel bearing N. W. 120 miles. 

 Bar a. m. 29.86; p. m. 29.90 and 29.86; Ther. 78° and 77°; a. m. squally ; 



* These seas were the rearward sea of the Cyclone and the regular Monsoon sea. 



f I have put this in Italics, but the hour of the day and its appearance between 

 west and north leave no doubt it was an effect of the sunset ; but from the bearing 

 of the Cyclone disk, it was also the sunlight seen through it, and we have thus 

 perhaps in part, here one explanation of the phenomenon of the red sky as an 

 effect of refracted light ; though not for the long periods during which it has been ob- 

 served. 



3x2 



