C 2 9+ ] 
India Company. Here, as well as in the freight of 
Malacca, you have periodical winds, which blow for 
fix months of the year from the fame quarter of the 
horizon, and the other fix months from the oppofite 
quarter ; and it is obfervahle, that thefe thunder- 
fhowers and fqualls of wind ufually come contrary 
to thefe ftated winds, which are calmed during the 
thunder, but return to their conftant quarter as foon 
as the thunder and rain are paid. If I recollect 
aright, in the above year 1741, in June, the 
weather was very hot and fultry, and the conftant 
wind but very faint. The wind came after this from 
the land, and almoft oppofite to the ufual point a very 
faint air ; and the thunder was frequent and clofe to 
the fhips, which lay near each other, but the fog 
and rain prevented their feeing each other; but they 
often trembled and fhook by the explolion of the 
thunder. One of thefe claps burft upon the country 
fhip, which by this time had her top-mafts ftruck; 
that is, lowered down along the lower-mafts. This 
clap carried away and burft to pieces all the part of 
the lower-maft from where the yard is caried aloft to 
within lix or leven feet of the upper deck. The maft 
was wooldcd with ropes of 2 4 fize in different 
places, which were burft afunder at every turn of 
it ; and the maft all fhivered into fmall fplinters, and 
moftly carried overboard. Here alfo the main-maft 
was made of fir, and the part, which was fplit and 
fhivered to pieces, was the part ufually coated with 
turpentine mixed as before-faid with tallow or oil : 
and the main-top-maft, which was made of a wood 
of the country called teak, and is of a texture like 
to oak, but ftronger, was untouched, notwithftanding 
4 i t 
