'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎96] (205/496)

still narrower limits, and now exhibited a diameter of only 225 miles.
The distance from its centre at 2 A. M. on the 17th (B) to the spot
where the Buckinghamshire was dismasted at noon on the 18th, (C) is
263 miles, and it had moved through this portion of its course in nearly
a N.JW. line in 34 hours, at the rate of eight miles per hour, and had
also approached within 40 miles of the coast.
It is to be regretted that we have no means of ascertaining the track
of the storm farther to the Southward and Eastward, and the direction
from which it approached the continent of India. From what I have
been able to glean from the imperfect information given by the native
Commander of the Ketch Ceylon Island, I am induced to believe
that it came from E.S.E., for he states that on the 15th April, when off
Colombo, he had a gale from the S.E., in which he had all his sails
blown away, lost his mizen topmast, crossjack yard, &c. and that, in
standing to the X.W., it continued from that date veering gradually
round to S.W., until the 21st, when it moderated : he farther mentions,
that three days before, on the 12th, when about twenty-five miles from
Colomoo, he experienced a heavy gale from E.S.E,, which obliged him
to run before it for a whole day,
I shall now offer a few remarks on the course of some of the
vessels.
At noon on the 16th, the Buckinghamshire was lyW to with the
gale from N.E. by N. The vortex of the storm was then a short dis-
tance to the S.E., and moving at a rapid rate to the North, passed
ahead of her shortly after she stood to the E.N.E. under a press of
sai ; and during the day the wind veered gradually round from N.E. by
. o b.W. From noon of the 17th her course was about N.N.W.,
e was going at the rate of 12 knots per hour, with a current of
near y wo mots in her favour. As she was thus moving up with the
lurncane m nearly the same direction, she remained the whole time in
f- « « quarter of the circle, and consequently had the wind steady
ino- tti '+ "r+i U ^ tX n0 ° n ^ le w ^ en the line of her course, meet-
ed^ J!S °i T ^“ifne,—she had reached its vortex,—the wind chang-
• v en y 0 • • ■> and blew with tremendous violence, and she was
quickly rendered a mere wreck.
, . fttie of the storm circle passed near the Mermaid when she
^ ailt ^ as he expected, the weather she experienced
a coui! r n rf U ° US '. By bearin S U P> she followed the hurricane on
8 z g it y inclining towards its path, but as it progressed with