The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-20 00:00:00

RULE IN SEAMANSHIP.

The following notice was received here on Saturday
last, by a gentleman in our neighbourhood, enclosed in a
letter from his Excellency Colonel Reid, C. 8., late
Governor of the Bermudas, now Governor of Barba-
does, &c., author of the " Theory of Storms." It has
been kindly handed to us for insertion in our paper, and
we readily give it a place, as it may be of essential ser-
vice to seamen sailing from our port :
Every rule applicable to ships which have become in-
volved in storms is admirable. Captain Andrews, com-
mander of the royal mail steamer Medway, on leaving
Bermuda for England on the 23d Sept., 1846, suggested
the following :
By keeping the wind on the starboard quarter, when
in a revolving storm in the northern hemisphere, ships
gradually sail from the storm's centre ; and by keeping
the wind on the port quarter, when in the southern
hemisphere, ships sail gradually from the centre of a re-
volving storm.
This rule applies to three quarters of the storm's cir-
cle. But there is always one quadrant in a progressive
whirlwind storm, more dangerous than the other three,
being that over which the storm's centre passes in its
progress ; and there would be danger in applying the
rule with a ship in this quadrant.
Within the tropics, whilst the course of storms tends
towards the west, the quadrant of greatest danger will
be on the west sides. But these quadrants will gradu-
ally change their position as the storms recurve; and in
high latitudes, as the course of the storms become east..
erelyosn the
owilleathstesesidqeuaodfratnhtse of greatest
reatelsnt doarndgeerr
tcoomkenotwo
b
which is the quadrant of greatest danger, the theory
must be studied until it is understood.
An example of Captain Andrews' rule for the
southern hemisphere was practised by Captain Moorsom,
Royal Navy, when commanding the Andromache frigate
at Mauritius, in 1826, and is the more remarkable because
it was executed by Captain Moorsom, before the theory
of storms was understood. Leaving her Majesty's ship
Ariadne, in Port Louis Harbour, at the wish of her
commander, Captain Moorsom put to sea in the An-
dromache with the wind at S.E., veering to S.S.E., pre.
determined to steer without regard to the compass, and
to keep the wind as it veered, always upon the larboard
or port quarter. He had come to this decision from at-
tentively studying the logbooks of ships which had en-
countered hurricanes in the neighbourhood of Mauritius,
and observed that the wind veered there in a uniform
manner. By steerine, as described, Captain Moorsom
gradually carried his frigate away from the centre of the..
storm, until he had gained its opposite side, and mode-
rate rate weather. Then, having the wind at N.B. reteanckg,
E.N.E., he brought his ship upon the starboard
in
the two log-books, it
order to return to Mauritius, which port she reached un-
injured.By comparing extracts from
Louis
appears that theHarbour, was
by putting to
whilst Ariadne,the
sea, and being so steered so.as
to keep the wind on the
in the centre of the hurricane, and had the storm
very severely;
port quarter, in fart
Dundee Courier.
had comparatively moderate weather.—

LONDON PIIILANTIIROPIC SOCIETY FOR THE DIS-.
iaLake,
Lord CO
support.
COALS. . This
Lordv alb l
cFenßtlyßErteD greatAeiveNdp
Lord Ashley, and Lord Cornwallis are amongst its sup-
porters. Amongst numerous donations lately received
charityTßlß T IhoaNs
recently
are—R. R. Wood, Esq., 201.; B. B. Cabbell, Esq.,
101. 10s.; Luke Hansard, Esq., 101. 10s.; Mr. and Mrs.
11. F. Richardson, 151. 155.; the Hon. Miss Harley,
ot.; R. S. Holford, Esq., 10/. 10s., &c. At this Amon,
such aid is really a boon.
N. P. Willis, the well-known American writer,
was married at New Bedford, in the United States, on
the Ist of last month, to a daughter of the Hon. Joseph
Grinnell, member of Congress. The fair bride is named
Cornelia, and is described to be petite, spirituelle, and an
heiress.

A PROTRACTED COLD BATH.--Wednesday a person
of the name of Ward, in order to exhibit the effect of
some neAly. invented apparatus made of cork, for the
purpose of enabling persons to float on the water and
use their limbs with ease, swam for a considerable period
in the river, about Westminster-bridge. He afterwards
attempted to swim to Hungerford-bridge, but before he
reached it, ho became so much exhausted by cold and
by his exertions, that he was unable to help himself,
and it required the most vigorous exertions of the men
in the boat attending on him to save his life. After he
was taken out of the water and placed in bed, variosat
restoratives were applied, but two hours elapsed before
.
he was so far recovered as to be pronounced out of Mu
mediate danger.