On the 9th October 1820, there was a hurricane commencing. at N.W., veering to W. and S.W. The barometer fell to 28.50. here the cyclone travelled west, and passed to the north of Madras.
On the 30th October 1836, a gale set in from north. At 4 P.M. it blew a regular hurricane from N.N.W. and N. After an ominous lull of half an hour, it flew round with redoubled violence from the south, at half-past seven P.M. At this time the barometer was On the 29th October, at noon, it had been 30'050 „ 30th October, at 6 . . . . 29'940 „ 30th October, at noon, . . . . 29'707 „ 30th October, at 5 . . . . 28'891 „ 30th October, at 7.30 P. M., . . 28'235 At midnight, when the gale broke, . . 29'415 A storm causing great loss occurred at Bombay on the 15th June 1837.
In November 1839, a hurricane occurred off Coringa, when a storm-wave laid the shore 8 feet under water. 70 ships and 700 people were lost at sea, and 6000 perished on shore.
In October 1842, there was a heavy gale at Madras, but hardly considered a hurricane.
In May 1843, another hurricane occurred at Madras. On this occasion the brunt of it was felt out at sea, and several vessels were lost. Those that remained at their anchors rode it out.
The next hurricane at Madras took place on the 25th November 1846 ; during it the pressure plate of the Observatory anemometer broke, at a pressure of 40 lbs. registered ; and the force of one heavy gust was computed at 57 lbs. per square foot ! The large iron wind-vane of the Observa tory was bent to a right-angle ; and ono of the flat piers on the Elphinstone bridge blown over.
These formed the data for computation. The previous month there had been an unprecedented fall of rain (20.1 inches in 24 hours). Had the hurricane set in before the soil had dried, not a single building or tree in Madras would have remained upright.
On 19th April 1847, a violent hurricane ex tended from the equator to Sind. It was severe at Ratnagherry ; the Maldives were submerged, followed by severe famine. The Cleopatra was lost in this.
A destructive storm occurred at Bombay on the 2d November 1854.
In July 1780, during a tyfoon in the China Sea, about 100,000 people perished.
A tremendous hurricane, with an inundation caused by a storm-wave, occurred at Cuttack and around Culcutta, on the 30th November 1831.
On the 31st October 1831, 300 villages and 11,000 people were swept away in Lower Bengal by inundations, followed by a famine ; and the loss of life was estimated at 50,000 souls.
On the 21st May 1832, 8000 to 10,000 people perished in the delta of the Gauges.
On the 8th October 1832, a furious storm and disastrous inundation occurred around Calcutta, followed by great sufferings at Balasore.—Mr. Meldrum in Pro. Brit. Assoc., 1867 ; Pharoah's Gazetteer of S. India ; Dr. Buist in Bo. Geo. Tr., 1856 ; Piddingion, Law of Storms, p. 524 ; American Expedition to Japan, p. 137. See Cyclone.