'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎101] (210/496)

101
to noon of the 16th, a period of 45 hours. She was therefore about
30 miles above Mangalore, and, as the Victoria had had the wind from
the Southward and Eastward with a heavy swell when passing that
place eight hours before, it is highly probable that by this time the
S.E. breeze had also reached her. Allowing this to be the case, she had
for the next twenty hours a heavy sea current, and constantly increas
ing wind against her, and could not have made more than 90 miles,
estimating her average speed to have been knots per hour.
This gives 428 miles as the whole distance run from Bombay, and
places her at 8 A. M. on the 17th in Latitude 12° 5 7 North, about 40 miles
from the land, with Elicalpine Island, the nearest of the Laccadives, 50
miles to windward. At this time the Mermaid must have been very near
her, and was lying to under a close reefed maintopsail in a heavy
gale. Allowing even that her speed whilst running down the coast
was greater than I have given her, which I do not think at all proba
ble, she would only have met the gale a little earlier, and would not
have advanced more than a few miles to the Southward of the spot
in which I have placed her. From the account given in the log-books
of the different vessels, of the weather they experienced on that part
of the coast at the time, I have come to the conclusion that the
Cleopatra could not have reached the Laccadive Islands at the
period when the hurricane first reached her ; and a reference to the
Chart will show that she was nearer its vortex than the Mermaid,
Faize Rubahny, or Victoria, and consequently must have been more
exposed to its greatest violence than either of those vessels.
(Signed) T. G. Carless,
Bombay, August 25, 1847. Captain, I. N.
(True copy.) A. Malet,
Chief Secretary,
Art. III.— Account of a Journey from Soor to Jahlan, and thence
to Ras Roves, By Messrs Ward, Sylvester, and James, of the
Hon’ble Company’s Surveying Brig Palinurus,
[Presented by Government.]
Friday, November §th, 1845.—Landed at Soor with Mr Cole, C. in
C., the interpreter, who accompanied us for the purjmse of arranging
with the Sheik to accommodate us with camels and guides for our
journey.
On arriving at the town, which is situated on the beach, we found that
the Sheik was absent on business at the other town of Soor, about two