Volume II Part 8 (2/2)
SINGULAR CHANGE OF WINDS
Nove a very extraordinary change that took place in the winds Instead of the usual fresh North-West breeze after ten AM, there was a radually by east to north At sunset the weather was very gloo as usual In the early part of the night the as light froht to a fresh breeze fro broke, it had veered to East-South-East with squalls from East-North-East and heavy rain Dense looreeable as to reduce the teular effect after the constant bright sunny days we had experienced There was still no unusual change in the baro 3006, and the ht was squally without rain
HURRICANE AT PORT ESSINGTON
November 27
The day broke with an appearance of fine weather; patches of blue sky peeped between the heavyas the day advanced, left us at sunset with a cloudless vault of blue overhead The barohout the whole of this day than it had been at all, being at two PM 2991 When this strange weather first began I was disposed to consider it to be of the same character as that which I had before observed to occur within a few days of the change of the moon But its duration and occasional violence led me to think otherwise, and I afterwards found my conclusions to be correct; as at this very titon, distant 270 rees East direction
(Footnote The following account of the effects of this hurricane at Port Essington is from the pen of Captain Stanley, and has been published in the Nautical Magazine for Septe breeze set in fro rain, but as the barometer remained at 2990, its usual point, and sie of thewas apprehended, more particularly as the wind moderated (as had been expected) at sunset Between seven and eight o'clock the wind drew round to the southward, and the baroan to fall rapidly: at ten it blew furiously from the same quarter, and the barometer was as low as 2910; ht the wind drew round to the eastward, and blew a perfect hurricane, before which nearly everything gave way; the trees came down in every part of the settlement; the marines' houses were all blon; the church, only finished a week, shared the same fate: the barometer fell to 2852
About two AM the wind shi+fted suddenly to the northward, from which point for about half-an-hour, its fury was treovernment-house, built on stone piers, was bloay from them to a distance of nine feet; the sea rose ten feet and a half, by h-waterparted her cables, was driven on shore, and thrown over on her beam ends, on the north-east point of the settlerees, her starboard side was buried nine feet in the round
At daylight the baroale moderated, and the sea went down so fast, that between seven and eight ere able to send a boat to the assistance of the Pelorus: after eight the breeze continued to blow strong from the northward for two days, with heavy rain
The occurrence of such a hurricane must be very rare, as the natives were asfor shelter: they have no na happened before: the state in which the very extensive fences at Raffles Bay were in shortly before, must prove that the trees had never been blon in the way they were on the 25th of November, since that settlement was abandoned in 1829
The extent of the hurricane ale from the south-as experienced, and also between Java and Tie Even 18 e of wind h equal in force There the first trees fell with the wind from West-South-West; a few fell when the as east, and most when the as north-west
The Malays have an idea that every fifth year the ive no reason for thinking so According to the one
(Footnote The Pelorus was dug out of the ot afloat towards thewas accoable exertion and mechanical skill of her commander, Captain Kuper, CB, assisted by Captain Stanley JLS))
COURSE OF THE STORM
The bad weather in the Victoria then would appear to have been caused by the proxie of this storm as it passed to the ard The fact of the ti been the saton, and in the Victoria; and of the French discovery shi+psit in Torres Strait first, shows the westerly course of the storale fro
Most probably it took aTimor
(Footnote We were informed at Timor that hurricanes were never felt there, but occur once in four or five years to the southward of it It may be added that a vessel lost her top-ton hurricane, near Sandalwood Island, and that to the southward of Java hurricanes occur frequently)
I passed the night on shore,observations for latitude, and in the hope also of being able to obtain another speci the tienerally to be found on the move But I did not succeed in this object; and failed also in e kind seen in the interior I left the observation spot for this purpose with the first grey of thean East-North-East direction for about four miles
DREARY COUNTRY
The country was e blocks of sandstone, rose in desolate grandeur around; chasms, ravines, and thirsty stony valleys yawned on every side; all was broken, rugged, and arid, as if the curse of sterility had fallen on the land; in short, the contrast was complete between this desert place and the country we had so lately traversed up the river I was able, accordingly, to procure nothing in the shape of a fresh eons of a dark brown colour, with a white patch on the extre, which I have alluded to in the earlier part of the work relating to King's Sound, as always inhabiting rocky districts and
LOSE TWO ANCHORS