'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎32] (135/496)

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later, the commencement of the S.W. monsoon was marked by sharp
tornadoes at Poona, where, on 22nd May, a fall of hailstones took place,
most of which were as large as pigeons eggs, and of the same shape,
All these facts shew that before the gale set in, the N.E. monsoon
was predominating over India. The facts of an indraft of air or sea-
breeze at the coasts, and calms or high winds near the heated surface
of the plains, are mere local effects, confined to the very lowest stra
tum of air, at least till the mean heat of the earth increases to a cer
tain degree. Over these early derangements, caused by solar agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. ,
the Easterly currents, or great body of air, continues its course with
little interruption till near the time of the S.W. monsoon. On the
coasts of Scinde we have often seen the low rapid drift of light
clouds carried out to sea by the easterly wind, while a gentle surface
breeze was blowing inland from the westward. The masses of cold
dry air borne by the N.E. monsoon, on coming in collision with the
hot and humid S.W. winds from the opposite quarter, would, accord
ing to all the known laws of permanently elactic and other fluids, run
into gyratory motion, mingle together, be reduced to a common tem
perature, and precipitate their superabundant moisture in the form of
rain, or of hail, if this union took place near the level of congeala-
tion ;—and the phenomena would be prolonged, according to circum-
cumstances so variable in their nature that we cannot now advert to
them.* The evolvation of electricity on such occasions is more or less
remarkable according to the suddenness of the condensation, and ra
ther appears to us to be a consequence of the change of vapour to
the form of water than the cause.
Analytical comments on the late Gale.—It would be hopeless in our
present state of knowledge to attempt an analysis of all the various
phenomena that distinguish a rotatory gale, but certain known princi-
p s may assist in partially elucidating the complex relation that the
most remarkable bear to one another. For instance, according to the
ws o gravity, it follows that in a revolving mass of air with a di-
mnnshed pressure of the superincumbent atmosphere near the centre
equal to two inches of the Barometer, the surrounding column of the
a iue iviaiabar storm, from the copious fall ..o? i . , _ , . , i.v.p surface
it is almost r^t*^ fw f uopious tal1 ram along with the East wind at the sin
were Wowin' wt “ ? regi ° n of the atmosphere the hot and humid S.W. current
foreing^tself under' th k'w T‘ ° f the Circle cold and dense N.E. wind ^
“ against the wind” wh' h and ' vesterl - v > aud causing those sudden squalls “ coming
the wind which were experienced by the Smtkamlj and Semtris.