'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎17] (120/496)

“ tlle soutli^,
•’ ^^andS];
Long. 58° jj
ille winds and #
they were Nit
17
On the 20th, as we have seen, the winds veered from N.E. to N. W„
and W.N.W., at Bombay; on the coast, to the Southward of this, wester
ly gales, and heavy rain, with overcast sky, prevailed. At Deesa, N.E
to S.E. winds appear to have been blowing.
On the 21st, West and S.W. winds blew at Bombay, and some of
ficers travelling from Deesa to Ahmedabad had a severe thunder
storm, with continued rain and high wind. The Auckland, bringing
the mails from Aden, had strong south-westerly winds and a heavy
S.W. swell from the 22nd to the 26th, when she was in Latitude 17° N.
Longitude 66° E.
On the 22nd, 23r<7, and 2ith, it blew a severe gale at Kurrachee, with
lightning, thunder, and heavy u rain.” The roofs were blown off some
of the new pendalls, &c.
At Shikarpoor on the 22nd and 23rd it blew a severe dust storm,
(N.E. ?) on the former day, and on the latter it was accompanied by
tonents of lain, and electrical phenomena. (i The blackness of the
“ storm was fearful, the howling of the wilderness dreadful.” Houses
not only “ leaked but staggered and fell down.” On the 25th, the
tempest had passed, and we lose all further vestiges of its destructive
sweep from Point de Galle to Beloochistan.
Although no reliance can be placed on the accounts received from
the country boats, in reference to the veering and direction of the
gale at certain periods of the day, yet all agree that the gale com
menced at East and ended at West. Several of the Pattamars were
blown off tne land for £( three days, ’ and it took as many more to re
gain the coast. That the storm travelled from Ceylon along the Ma
labar Coast and passed Bombay, is equally conclusive. Its tract has
been laid down on diagram No. 3, on which the probable position of
its centre on each day is marked by a small circle ; and the succession
of these point out the distances and direction of its diurnal progres
sion till near Bombay ; from whence to Shikarpoor, its path being hy
pothetical, it has been traced by an interrupted line. Hereafter, we
may obtain information to clear up this doubtful subject. Had there
been as many vessels between Bombay and Kurrachee as in the oppo
site direction, we should have had something to guide us : at present
there are nothing but vague newspaper reports, received from out-
stations.