'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎69] (85/496)

Ixix
The Barometer at Aden seemed not to have been in any way materially affect,
ed. At Bombay and Calcutta the mercury stood unusually high from the 19th to
the 24th, as it probably did at all other places in India.
22nd January.
Maximum.
Mean.
Bange.
Bombay....
30019
29*897
A /I nn
30 163
29-971
Calcutta
30 126
30 008
This was after making the correction for the difference of altitude betwixt the
two observatories, amounting to about 152 feet,—Aden being 187, and Bombay 35,
feet above the sea. It might here be remarked, that the barometer at Aden had
sunk materially on the 5th and 6th, the very days it in like manner fell at Bombay.
It was for the sake of endeavouring to trace the connection of phenomena of this
description with each other which made the Society so anxious for access to the
records at the Observatory. There might in reality be nothing very remarkable
in the fact that a violent thunderstorm should have happened at Bombay, with
earthquakes up and down the country, on the 26th May; or that a heavy fall of
rain should have occurred on the 15th January; but there was something very
striking indeed in the occurrence of these things at the same hour of the same day
all over India, from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin. On the storm first alluded
to, a most interesting paper had already been laid before the British Association
by Colonel Sykes, and from the tenor of Professor Powell’s note, it was unlikely
the second would be passed over unnoticed.
moozujjer, a&ih January, 1 cannot permit this opportunity to pass by
without describing to you, in the best way I am able, a most extraordinary pheno
mena which we all witnessed on the night of the 23rd instant. It would indeed
require a far abler and more scientific pen than mine to do justice to it—how
ever, I hope you will take the will for the deed, and pardon all imperfections.
At 6-30 r. M. observed a very remarkable milky appearance in the water, the
color assuming the same tint as a shallsw mud-bank or sand-bank. The sea,
which had a few minutes before been turbulent and confused, suddenly became
smooth and placid, and the air felt cold and chilly. In the space of an hour the
w ole verge of the horizon, as far as the eye could reach, was most brilliantly
i ummated. The vessel shortly after entered a vast body of water of the most
azz mg rightness, and of a highly phosphorescent nature ; in fact it looked as if
we weie sai mg over a boundless plain of snow, or a sea of quicksilver. The sur.
JfV 0Cean , f01, miles in extent was unbroken—not a wave or riple disturb-
'7 eemed 80 dense and solid > that the Moomffer actually ap-
Lrll b , K f , 0rcmg h6r m °lten lead, /hat part of the
mall oat/ ™ v l 7 ^ Str ° ke ° f ° Ur hu S e Paddle-wheels, resembled
quite h!htd I t ° r CreaM - The Sky ’ and ev erything around us, was
L - g "P 1,7 U ' , The weather was peculiarly flue, though the atmosphere
and rrr st : f , e win< ! was iight from the n - ciMr
nearlv he wl Tr & T a , tltUde Were rendered dim h a haze. The horizon
lew down I n WaS ’ m - deflned 5 a few thi “ floating very
could br nercoTveT iM PaSt; bUt n ° ° ther P eoulia Hty in the atmosphere
could b. perceived until about ten o’clock, when a singular light was seen in the