OCT.— DEC. 1856.] 



Scientific Intelligence. 



115 



[The following notice of the late Storm of the 20th Nov. 1856, was kindly fur- 

 nished hy Major Jacob, The Hon'ble Company's Astronomer.] 



The Barometer began to show a downward tendency as early as 

 the night of the 17th but so slight as to cause no alarm; for the 

 next two days this tendency continued, but there was no sudden 

 depression ; the daily rise being only a little less, and the daily 

 fall rather more prolonged than usual. No decided fall took place 

 until the afternoon of the 20th when instead of the usual rise after 

 4. p. m., the mercury, after fluctuating slightly for about an hour, 

 continued descending until 3 h. 30 m. a. m. on 21st, when it stood 

 at 29-540. 



The wind, which had been for some days a little westerly, blue 

 rather fresh from N. N. W. about midnight of the 19th, but the 

 pressure scarcely exceeded 51b. on the square foot. 



On the morning of the 20th, after a short lull it veered to the 

 eastward of N., about 10 h. 30 A. m. returning to nearly due N., in 

 the afternoon between 2 and 3 p. m. the pressure reached 12lb. 

 but only in a single gust. From 5 to 8 the gale moderated and 

 again became easterly ; but freshened again during the night, and 

 about midnight began to veer westerly, from 4 to 5 a. m. on the 

 21st it attained a force of 18J lb., when it began gradually to mo- 

 derate and by the evening had become nearly calm, still coming 

 round till it finally blew S. W. The Barometer continued to rise 

 steadily from 3| a. m., and by the evening had nearly attained its 

 usual height. 



From the course followed by the wind it was inferred that the 

 centre of the storm was passing a little southward of Madras, and 

 this agrees with the reports of the shipping which stood out to sea 

 in a S. E. direction, and met with worse weather than what occur- 

 red on shore. 



The rain continued heavily on the evening of the 19th, and con- 

 tinued with little intermission until the morning of the 2 1st, the 

 fall in those 36 hours amounting to 11-65 in. of which 6*22 in. fell 

 in the night of the 20th. 



