Captain Langstaff, on a voyage to the West Indies, had one come across the stern of his vessel, and pass away from him, The water came down in such quantity, that the present Captain Melling, who was then a common sailor at helm, says it almost drowned him, running into his mouth, nose, ears, &c., and adds, that it tasted perfectly fresh.

One passed by the side of Captain Howland's ship, so near that it appeared pretty plain that the water descended from first to last.

Mr. Robert Spring was so near one, in the Straits of Malacca, that he could perceive it to be a small very thick rain.

All these assure me, that there was no wind drawing towards them, nor have I found any others that have observed such a wind.

It seems plain, by these few instances, that whirlwinds do not always attend spouts; and that the water really descends in some of them. But the following consideration, in confirmation of this opinion, may, perhaps, render it probable that all the spouts are descents. It seems unlikely that there should be two sorts of spouts, one ascending and the other descending.

It has not yet been proved, that any one spout ever ascended. A specious appearance is all that can be produced in favor of this; and those, who have been most positive about it, were at more than a league's distance when they observed, as Stuart and others, if I am not mistaken. However, I believe it impossible to be certain whether water ascends or descends at half the distance.

It may not be amiss to consider the places where they happen most. These are such as are liable to calms from departing winds on both sides, as on the borders of the equinoctial trade, calms on the coast of

Guinea, in the Straits of Malacca, &c., places where the under region of the atmosphere is drawn off horizontally. I think they do not come where the calms are without departing winds; and I take the reason to be, that such places, and places where winds blow towards one another, are liable to whirlwinds, or other ascents of the lower region, which I suppose contrary to spouts. But the former are liable to descents, which I take to be necessary to their production. Agreeably to this, it seems reasonable to believe, that any Mediterranean sea should be more subject to spouts than others. The sea, usually so called, is so. The Straits of Malacca are. Some large gulfs may probably be so, in suitable latitudes; so the Red Sea, &c.; and all for this reason, that the heated lands on each side draw off the under region of the air, and make the upper descend, whence sudden and wonderful condensations may take place, and make these descents.

It seems to me, that the manner of their appearance and procedure, favor the notion of a descent.

More or less of a cloud, as I am informed, always appears over the place first; then a spattering on the surface of the water below; and, when this is advanced to a considerable degree, the spout emerges from the cloud, and descends, and that, if the causes are sufficient, down to the places of spattering, with a roaring in proportion to the quantity of the discharge; then it abates, or stops, sometimes more gradually, sometimes more suddenly.

I must observe a few things on these particulars, to show how I think they agree with my hypothesis.

The preceding cloud over the place shows condensation, and consequently tendency downwards, which therefore must naturally prevent any ascent. Besides that, so far as I can learn, a whirlwind never comes under a cloud but in a clear sky.

The spattering may be easily conceived to be caused by a stream of drops, falling with great force on the place, imagining the spout to begin so, when a sudden and great condensation happens in a contracted space, as the Ox-Eye, on the coast of Guinea.

The spout appearing to descend from the cloud seems to be, by the stream of nearly contiguous drops bringing the air into consent, so as to carry down a quantity of the vapor of the cloud; and the pointed appearance it makes, may be from the descending course being swiftest in the middle, or centre of the spout; this naturally drawing the outer parts inward, and the centre to a point; and that will appear foremost that moves swiftest. The phenomenon of retiring and advancing, I think may be accounted for, by supposing the progressive motion to exceed or not equal the consumption of the vapor by condensation. Or more plainly thus; the descending vapor which forms the apparent spout, if it be slow in its progress downwards, is condensed as fast as it advances, and so appears at a stand; when it is condensed faster than it advances, it appears to retire; and vice versa.

Its duration and manner of ending are as the causes, and may vary by several accidents.

The cloud itself may be so circumstanced as to stop it; as when, extending wide, it weighs down at a distance round about, while a small circle at the spout, being exonerated by the discharge, ascends and shuts up the passage. A new determination of wind may, perhaps, stop it too. Places liable to these appearances are very liable to frequent and sudden alterations of it.

Such accidents as a clap of thunder, firing cannon, &c., may stop them; and the reason may be, that any shock of this kind may occasion the particles, that are near cohering, immediately to do so; and then the

whole, thus condensed, falls at once (which is what I suppose is vulgarly called the breaking of the spout); and in the interval between this period and that of the next set of particles being ready to unite, the spout shuts up. So that, if this reasoning is just, these phenomena agree with my hypothesis.

The usual temper of the air, at the time of their appearance, if I have a right information, is for me too; it being then pretty cool for the season and climate. And this is worth remark, because cool air is weighty, and will not ascend; besides, when the air grows cool, it shows, that the upper region descends, and conveys this temper down; and, when the tempers are equal, no whirlwind can take place. But spouts have been known, when the lower region has been really cold. Gordon's spout in the Downs is an instance of this, (See Philosophical Transactions), where the upper region was probably not at all cooler, if so cold as the lower; it was a cold day, in the month of March; hail followed, but not snow; and it is observable, that not so much as hail follows or accompanies them in moderate seasons or climes, when and where they are most frequent. However, it is not improbable, that just about the place of descent may be cooler than the neighbouring parts, and so favor the wonderful celerity of condensation. But, after all, should we allow the under region to be ever so much the hottest, and a whirlwind to take place in it; suppose then the sea-water to ascend, it would certainly cool the spout; and then query, whether it would not very much, if not wholly, obstruct its progress.

It commonly rains when spouts disappear, if it did not before, which it frequently does not, by the best accounts I have had; but the cloud increases much faster after they disappear, and it soon rains. The first shows the spout to be a contracted rain, instead of the diffused one that follows; and the latter, that the cloud

was not formed by ascending water, for then it would have ceased growing when the spout vanished.

However, it seems that spouts have sometimes appeared after it began to rain; but this is one way a proof of my hypothesis, viz. as whirlwinds do not come under a cloud.

I forgot to mention, that the increase of cloud, while the spout subsists, is no argument of an ascent of water by the spout; since thunder-clouds sometimes increase greatly while it rains very hard.

for

Divers effects of spouts seem not so well accounted any other way as by descent.

The bush round the feet of them seems to be a great spray of water made by the violence of descent, like that in great falls of water from high precipices.

The great roar, like some vast inland falls, is so different from the roar of whirlwinds, by all accounts, as to be no ways compatible.

The throwing things from it with great force, instead of carrying them up into the air, is another difference.

There seems some probability that the sailors' traditionary belief, that spouts may break in their decks, and so destroy vessels, might originate from some facts of that sort in former times. This danger is apparent on my hypothesis, but it seems not so on the other; and my reason for it is, that the whole column of a spout from the sea to the clouds cannot, in a natural way, even upon the largest supposition, support more than about three feet water, and, from truly supposable causes, not above one foot, as may appear more plainly by and by. Supposing now the largest of these quantities to rise, it must be disseminated into drops, from the surface of the sea to the region of the clouds, or higher; for this reason, it is quite unlikely to be collected into masses, or a body, upon its falling; but

VOL. VI.

22

0