he north, so
that the exterior letters may point on the chart to the respective
points of the compass: this is very essential. This simple process will
at once acquaint the seaman with two important facts relative to the
coming hurricane--his position in the storm, and the direction in
which it is moving.

_Examples._

A captain of a ship in latitude 35 deg. 24' N., longitude 64 deg. 12' W., bound
to the United States, observes the barometer to stand unusually high,
say 30.55 inches: shortly after the mercury begins to fall, at first
slowly and steadily; as the glass falls the wind freshens, and is
noticed to blow with increasing force from the S. so as to threaten a
gale. The position of the ship on the chart is now to be found, and the
graduated point under the letters E. S. is to be placed thereon,
taking care to direct the needle to the north. From these two
circumstances, the falling barometer and the wind blowing from the south
with increasing force, the mariner is aware of this simple fact, that he
is situated in the advancing portion of a body of air which is
proceeding towards the N.E.; and if he turn his face to the N.E. he will
find he is on the right of the axis line, or line cutting the advancing
body transversely. The hurricane circle as it lies on the chart reveals
to him another important fact, which is, that if he pursue his course he
will sail _towards_ the axis line of the hurricane, and may stand a
chance of foundering in its centre. To avoid this he has one of two
courses to adopt; either to lay-to on the _starboard tack_, according to
Col. Reid's rules (see his 'Law of Storms,' 1st edit., pp. 425 to 428),
the ship being in the right-hand semicircle of the hurricane, or so to
alter his course as to keep without the influence of the storm. In the
present case the adoption of the latter alternative would involve a
reversal of his former course; nevertheless it is clear the more he
bears to the S.E. the less he will experience the violence of the
hurricane: should he heave his ship to, upon moving the hurricane circle
from the ship's place on the chart towards the N.E., he will be able to
judge of the changes of the wind he is likely to experience: thus it
will first veer to S.S.W., the barometer still falling; then to S.W.,
the barometer at a minimum--this marks the position of the most violent
portion of the storm he may be in, and by keeping the barometer as high
as he can by bearing towards the