The inhabitants of the large fertile islands in the estuary of tbe Megna, Shahbazpur, Hattiah, and Sundeep, full of rice grounds and cocoanut grooves, are not unfamiliar with the dangers of their marshy home, for since 1822 there have been at least seven cyclones ; but the islands stand fairly high above the water, and it has been the storm which has caused most damage, though it generally gives notice of its approach long beforehand, by the unnatural hush in the air, and the livid colour of the sky, but on the night of the 31st October 1876 there was no warning. A violent north wind prevailed from 10 P.M. of the 31st October to 3 A.M. of the 1st Novem ber, and brought down the river water more rapidly than usual. The tidal wave was unusually high, and the north wind was followed by S.W. and west winds, which propelled the storm-wave into the converging water area of the estuary. It was full moon on the 31st October, and the usual tidal bore occurred at 11 P.M. ; and before the water flovved off, one or two storm-waves followed from the S.W. about 3 A.m., and between 4 and 5 A.M., causing a second and third inundation, covering the islands with from 10 to 45 feet of water. The waters continued to rise till 4 A.M., when they began to subside. The inundation caused bad food and bad water. It was shown that 165,000 people were drowned, and subsequently 75,000 died of cholera. South of the equator, they occur in the months of November to May, and travel to the W.S.W. ; and afterwards, but not
always, to the southward and S.E., the wind in variably moving round a central space (which is usually characterized by a calm) from left to right, or with the hands of a watch ; while the storm, which has a diameter of 1 to 1500 miles, moves onwards at the rate of 1 to 20 miles, but more frequently 4 to 7 miles an hour, for a period vary ing from a few hours to ten days, attended with torrents of rain, and its northern half often with lightning. Dr. Thom showed that, south of the equator, these rotatory storms are always generated between the N.W. monsoon and S.E. trade wind. They occur only during the S.W. monsoon months, and their rise and progress are intimately con nected with the S.E. trade wind and N.W. mon soon, two opposing winds. With- ships, the safest course.is to lie to and watch the barometer and wind till the bearing of the centre be kiibwn with some certainty.—Geog. Mag., June 1877 ;\.Buist's Catal.; Curiosities of Science ; Cal. Review, 1868 ; Capper's Trade Winds and Monsoons; Viddington on the Law of Storms ; E. India Marine Surveys; Imp. Gaz. ; Bikmore's Travels; .11,1aury's Physical Geog.; Mr. Meldrum in Pro. Brit. Assoc. 1867 ; Lieut.-Col. Reid, The Progress of the Development of the Lau, of Storms, London, 1849 ; Alexander Thom, An Inquiry into the Nature and Course of Storms in the S. Indian Ocean; Gazetteer of S. India, p. 191; Moral and Mat. Prog.