6 
BENGA L. 
by the familiar appellation of North-wester. It is a storm of extreme 
violence, but of short duration; rarely coming on in the open day, 
or twice during the absence of the sun, but usually commencing about 
the time of the evening twilight. 
These storms rage with greatest force between the passage of the 
sun from the vernal equinox to the summer solstice. His vertical 
power then loads the atmosphere with humidity; and his action dimi¬ 
nishing as he goes down, a dense cloud advances from the edge of the 
horizon, which is seen to come on with slow and solemn motion, till 
it has attained a certain altitude, when a most tremendous gust of wind 
bursts forth at once with sudden fury, frequently tearing up trees by 
the roots, and carrying away before it every light substance it can 
take up; filling the whole surrounding atmosphere with obscurity. 
A burst of loud thunder, with flashes of vivid lightning, next succeeds, 
which seems to clear a passage for a torrent of the heaviest rain, that 
descends with wonderful impetuosity. After this commotion of the 
elements, which seldom exceeds half an hour in duration, has subsided, 
a tranquil, temperate season ensues; all oppression is removed, and 
the air refreshed and cooled: a most grateful close, in this torrid re¬ 
gion, to an intensely hot day. 
We vrere detained on Wednesday the 7 th of May, by waiting for a 
part of our baggage, which had not yet come up from Kungpore; and 
in addition to this impediment, many of the coolies, or porters, had 
left us in the course of the night, so that we were unable to go on until 
Thursday. 
At about ten o’clock in the forenoon of the following day, having 
