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On the 17th August the barometer continued to fall slightly at Hongkong. The wind was chiefly from WNW. About noon it backed to SW and increased to force 5 at 4 p. (barometer 29.66). It afterwards decreased to force 3 at midnight (barometer 29.70). The mean temperature of the 24 hours was 83.3 this being 20.4, in excess of the mean of 5 years. The weather was fine with detached clouds the lower ones coming from WSW. Some c-cum was observed coming from E and above this c-str was seen. There was a solar halo. Victoria Peak had WSW 5 during the morning, SW 5 in the afternoon and evening. Breaker Point had WSW 3 in the morning increasing to WSW 5 towards evening. Weather fine till midday, then overcast with rain, thunder and lightning at night. The barometer was falling but slightly and at midnight read 29.64. At Lamocks the wind was veering from SSW 4 at 3 a. (barometer 29.60) to WSW 6 at midnight (barometer 29.60). The weather was fine in the morning but squally and wet with thunder and lightning during the evening. At S Cape the wind backed from WSW 7 at 6 a. (barometer 29.63 rising) to SW 5 at midnight (barometer 29.80). Anping at 3 a. had W 9 with rain, thunder and lightning (barometer 29.53 rising) the wind backed and decreased in force during the day. At 3 p. SSW 6 (barometer 29.67). At 9 p. SE 2 (barometer 29.72). The weather was rainy all day. Fisher Island also had the wind. backing and decreasing with rising barometer at 3 a. W 9 (barometer 29.49), at midnight SSW 7 (barometer 29.66). The weather was wet and squally the whole day. At Keelung at 3 a. the barometer read 29.26 and it had risen by 9 a. (29.38). The wind at 9 a. was NE 3 at 9 p. SE 1 (barometer 29.68). In the evening the weather became fine. At Tamsui there was NE 2 at 9 a. (barometer 29.42), at 9 p. NE 2 (barometer 29.65) with fine weather. At Chapel Island the barometer was falling and the wind backing and increasing at 6 a. SSW 4 (barometer 29.58) at 6 p. SSE 7 (barometer 29.44) at midnight SSE 8 (barometer 29.47). The weather was wet all day. Amoy the wind also backed and increased in force at 6 a. W 3 (barometer 29.60), at 6 p. SW 4 (barometer 29.51), at midnight SW 4 (barometer 29.53) with overcast sky in the morning and rain during the evening. At Ockseu the barometer was falling 6 a. (29.44) till about noon and it then remained nearly steady till 3 p. (29.38) when it commenced rising (9 p. 29.49). The wind was NNW 5 at 6 a. and it then commenced backing and increasing in force at noon WSW 5, at 3 p. SSW 7, at 6 p. S 7, at 9 p. S 9, at 10.30 p. S by E 11, at midnight SSE 8 force diminishing (barometer 29.57). There was rain the whole day and heavy squalls during the evening. This station was at noon 50 miles SSW of the centre, at 9 p. 60 miles SE of the centre. The detailed observations made at Turnabout for 17th August are appended. A NNW storm was blowing up to 8 a. when the wind commenced backing and diminishing in force, at 10.30 a. NW 9, at noon WNW 7, at 1.30 p. SW 3. It then gradually increased in force backing to S 10 at 4.30 p., SSE 11 at 5.30 p. and it continued to blow with storm force from SE until 9.30 p., afterwards diminishing in force with direction S. The lowest reading of the barometer was made at about noon (29.26.) Rain fell nearly the whole day with the exception of a few hours when the centre was within a few miles but the sky remained overcast. The centre was at noon 15 miles NNE of this station moving W by N. It was at 9 p. bearing W by N 70 miles.
At
At Middle Dog the barometer was falling rapidly during the morning hours and attained the lowest point at noon (29.21). After this time it commenced rising and at 3 p. read 29.23, at 9 p. 29.54. These readings appear to require a positive correction of about 0.05. The wind was from NNE 6 increasing during the morning, at noon from ENE 7. At 2.30 p. it suddenly veered to SE in a After heavy squall. Later it backed to ENE again continuing to blow from that direction until 6 p. that hour the direction became SE with force 7 to 8 during the evening. The weather was overcast, squally and showery the whole day. The centre passed between this station and Turnabout about noon. At Foochow the lowest recorded reading of the barometer was at 3 p. (29.30)—about which time the centre entered the coast a few miles to the southward-and between that hour and 9 p. (29.52) it rose. The weather was wet and squally with NE 4 in the morning, NNE 7 at 3 p. and ESE 5 at 9 p.
At Wenchow the lowest reading of the barometer was at noon (29.55 uncorrected). The weather was wet and squally with wind at 9 a. NE 5 veering and increasing, at 2 p. SE 7. It remained from SE diminishing gradually in force, at 9 p. SE 2. At Steep Island the barometer was almost steady with SE 4 and fine weather.
The most important log received is that of the Lennox a copy of which is annexed. The centre appears to have passed almost over the vessel just before noon. She had a N backing storm during the morning hours with squalls of hurricane force, heavy rain and a confused sea mostly from the same direction as the wind. At 11.30 a. the wind suddenly veered to S and decreased to force 3. At 12.30 p. the wind increased to hurricane force from the same direction. At 2 p. there was typhoon force from SSE. At 4 p. the barometer had risen and the wind was gradually decreasing, at 8 p. S 10, at midnight SSE 8.
The gentle S breeze which blew in the central area lasted one hour and the sea appears to have calmed down to some extent with the wind. The diameter of the area appears to have been about 10 miles. The wind was strongest as usual after the centre had passed and the sea though much confused had chiefly the same direction as the wind. Other vessels about NE and within 200 miles of the centre had fresh ESE veering gales. The Bengloe sustained some damage and the cargo shifted on account of the vessel rolling frightfully in the heavy sea. She was in considerable danger from the list she sustained and put into the Hieshans for shelter and to trim the cargo. Those SW and within 250 miles of the centre had fresh WSW backing gales towards the afternoon. The Hailoong,