1847.] 



experienced at Madras. 



147 



of rain, and a sky of a leaden colored hue. After noon it veered 

 back to the Westward, and gradually drew to W. S. W. : the sky be- 

 coming more obscure, and the Barometer indicating approaching bad 

 weather. It then increased gradually till, about 9 P.M., when it was 

 blowing a fresh gale from W. S.W. : the rain at the same time fall- 

 ing in sheets of water. By midnight it had amounted to a mode- 

 rate hurricane, at which it remained till about 4 A. M. of the 21st, 

 when the Barometer which had fallen to 29'492, began to rise although 

 slowly. Between 11 and 12 on the night of the 20th, the wind was 

 from S. W. bW, but, the indicating pencil having got involved with 

 that of the rain guage, the register of the direction of the wind was 

 lost for some hours; yet, as at 7 A. M. on the 21st it was found still 

 to be blowing from nearly the same quarter, S. W. bS., and it was 

 generally observed as an extraordinary fact by persons, who took no- 

 lice of the different phases of this gale, that the wind did not at any 

 time blow from the sea, it may be inferred that it remained tolerably 

 steady during the above time when its greatest force was exerted. 



The amount of pressure on the square foot during this time was 

 not more than 17^ lbs., being what would be denominated a heavy 

 gale ; but from the damage sustained by the shipping which got a 

 trifling offing, and which it must be observed experienced the wind 

 in the same direction as at Madras, that is, off the land, it is proba- 

 ble that the force was greater at sea than on shore. It is worthy of 

 observation too that the various accounts given by the Commanders 

 of Vessels who were in this gale, although at considerable distances 

 from each other and from the shore, agree in establishing the pe - 

 riod between midnight and 4 A.M. of the 21st as the time at which 

 the gale was felt in its greatest strength. This must lead to the con- 

 clusion that the body of the hurricane was not passing from East to 

 West, but was formed in such a position as to throw both Madras 

 and the shipping in its S. Eastern Quadrant. 



At 4 A. M. of the 21st the wind together with the rain, began to 

 subside and to draw round to the Southward, in which quarter it re- 

 mained strong and variable till between 7 and 8 A. M. of the 22d 

 when it backed round to the N. W. : the Barometer gradually rising 

 till the 25th when it attained its previous height of 30' 00. On board 

 the Ships Ann Armstrong, Edward Biltong Lady McNaughten, and 

 Eleanor Lancaster, between 30 and 40 miles from the land, the Ba- 

 rometer is reported to have ranged between 28 and 29 inches during 

 the height of the gale, giving as a mean of the whole 28 '67. This 



