'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎39] (142/496)

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* 39
ing to, or standing away to the eastward, as the land will permit, the
proximity and extent of the danger may both be ascertained and pro
vided against.
The Buckinghamshire was more or less involved in the storm from
the 13th to 20th, in consequence of her course being parallel to that
of the vortex. On the 14th, she was in the westerly half of the
circle, with bad weather at North and N.N.W., and as she neared the
Island of Mincoy, the N.E. wind delayed her till the focus of the
gale had passed from between her and the coast of India ; and on the
17th, the gale veering to N.W. enabled her to run 120 miles to the
eastward, passing through its equatorial side, crossing its wake, and
getting in between it and the land of India. On the 18th, she avail
ed herself of the strong southerly gale on the east side of the vortex,
and ran along the coast N.N.W. and N.W. by N. ; and current and
wind being favourable, her speed was eleven to twelve miles per hour.
Thus she ran up to the focus, passed ahead of it with the gale veer
ing from S. by W. to South and S.E., and, in consequence of the
jutting out of the coast near Yingorla, she was forced to keep off
N.W. by W. at the very time when the vortex was assuming a nor
therly course and approximating the land. The result was most
disastrous to this fine vessel, and, as we have seen, on the 18th, p. M.,
the most violent part of the tempest swept over her.
It is almost self-evident that had this ship hove to on the 18th,
before she found the wind veering past South to the eastward, she
would have escaped the more perilous part of the typhoon. Truth
requires that this should be stated, and it is for the guidance of
vessels in future, for the preservation of human life and property,
that these remarks are made. But so far from attaching any blame
to the officer in command of the Buckinghamshire., we think his
conduct, under all the trying circumstances to which he was ex
posed, has been marked by intelligence, humanity, and zeal for the
interest of his employers. He suspected the true nature of the storm,
although there was absolutely no previous reason for expecting a
rotatory gale at such a season. It was quite natural to avail himself
of the southerly, and of course fair, winds at the east side of a
vortical storm, and had it diverged from the land in accordance with
the path commonly pursued by those noticed in Mr. PlDDINGTON’s
works, all would have gone right.