know to be a middle colour, produced by the mixture of blue rays with some of the less refrangible, as the yellow or orange. With respect to the phenomena remarked by Dr. Halley, it is easy to conceive that the light, when stripped of all the more refrangible rays, should produce a rose colour, snch as that he observed on the upper part of his hand; on the contrary, that which illuminated the lower part of his hand, consisted partly of rays reflected from the ground, and partly of those which were reflected from the internal parts of the sea water, which are chiefly blue and violet; and the mixture of these produced the greenish tinge which the doctor remarked, and which common experience shews is the predominant colour of the ocean. Water-spouts are among the phenomena which some philosophers have attempted to explain on electrical principles. A water-spout is a most formidable phenomenon, and is indeed capable of causing great ravages. It commonly begins by a cloud which appears very small, and which mariners call the squall, which augments in a little time into an enormous cloud, of a cylindrical form, or that of a reversed cone, and produces a noise like an agitated sea, sometimes emitting thunder and lightning, and also large quantities of rain or hail, sufficient to inundate large vessels, overset trees and houses, and every thing which opposes its violent impetuosity. These water-spouts are more frequent at sea than by land, and saflors are so convinced of their dangerous consequences, that when they perceive their approach, they frequently endeavour to break them, by firing a cannon before they advance too near the ship. They have also been known to have committed great devastations by land though, where there is no water near, they generally assume the harmless form of a whirlwind. These phenomena are accounted for, upon electrical principles. It is observed that the effluent matter proceeds from a body actually electrified towards one which is not so; and the affluent matter proceeds from a body not electrified towards one which is actually so. These two currents occasion two motions analagous to the electrical attraction and repulsion. If the current of the affluent matter is more powerful than the afiluent matter, which in this case is composed of particles exhaled from the earth, the particles of vapours which compose the cloud are attracted by this afluent matter, and form the cylindrical column, called the descending water-spout; if, on the contrary, the alluent matter is the strongest, it attracts a sufficient quantity of aqueous particles to form gradually into a cloud, and this is commonly termed the ascending water-spout. The above-mentioned phenomena have, however, been accounted for upon the principles of hydrostatics; and by some it has been imagined that there are two kinds of water-spouts, the one the effect of electrical attraction, and the other caused by a vacuum, or extreme and sudden rarefaction of the air. The whirlwinds which have been observed in this country are generally supposed to be of the latter kind; at least whatever was the original cause, the circumagitation or spiral motion of the air must have continued long after every electrical power had ceased to act. It is well known, that even a common fire produces a kind of circulation of the air in a room, but in a different form. It is therefore not difficult to conceive, that when any part of the column of air upon the surface of the earth or water is rarefied, either by electricity or any other cause, a vacuum, at least comparatively to the rest of the air, will immediately take place, and the circumambient air rushing in at once from every quarter to fill the void, a conflict of winds ensues, and consequently a circular motion, by which light bodies will be taken up and turned round with considerable velocity; this violent rushing of the air on all sides into the vacuum then forms what is commonly called at land a whirl, wind. When this vacuum takes place at sea, from the nature of fluids, the water will rise to a certain height by the pressure of the atmosphere, as in a common pump; but as the vacuum is not quite perfect, the water will be divided into drops, and as these vacuums are generally caused by heat, it will be rarefied when it reaches the upper regions of the atmosphere, and assume the appearance of a cloud. Water-spouts appear at a distance like an inverted cone, or the point of a sword, which is owing to the water rising in large drops at the first, and being expanded as it ascends; and a cloud is generally suspended over the body of the phenomenon. The water which is taken up is undoubtedly salt at the first, but, by the rarefaction in the superior regions, it undergoes a kind of natural distillation, and loses all the heavy saline particles with which it was charged. Water-spouts have been observed at land, and accounts have been given of red and yellow rain, of frogs and tadpoles, and even small fishes having been rained upon the tops of houses. The red and yellow rain was composed of the blossoms of vegetables, or of insects, taken up by one of these aerial tubes; and the frogs and fishes were probably part of the contents of some pond, in which the water-spout originated, or over which it might have passed in its perambulation. The point or cone of the water-spout is generally oblique, depending on the force and direction of the wind which drives it along. Dr. Perkins is disposed to adopt a different theory. Captain Melling informed him, that in a voyage from the West India islands to Boston, a water-spout came across the stern of the vessel where he then was, a flood of water fell upon him with such violence as almost to beat him down, and the spout immediately passed off with a roaring noise into the sea. The water from the spout, he remarked, was perfectly fresh. Dr. Perkins adds several other instances on the testimony of mariners, who all affirmed that they saw the water descend from the cloud through the waterspout into the sea, contrary to the general opinion, that it always ascends. To determine the matter, it is to be wished, that future observers would be careful to remark, 1st, the incipient state of a waterspout, and in particular whether any cloud is seen hovering over the part in which it commences; and 2dly, whether the conical part seems gradually to descend from the body of the cloud. BALL OF FIRE. On board the Montague, under the command of Admiral Cham, bers, in lat. 42° 48′ long. 9° 3′, on the 4th of November, 1749, about ten minutes before twelve, as Mr. Chalmers was taking an observation, one of the quarter-masters desired he would look to the windward. On directing his eye that way, he observed a large ball of blue fire, about three miles distance from them; they immediately lowered the top-sails, but it came so fast upon them, that before they could raise the main tack, they observed the ball rise almost perpendicularly, and not above forty or fifty yards from the main chains, when it went off with an explosion as great as if hundreds of cannon had been discharged at the same time, leaving behind it a strong sulphureous smell. By this explosion the main-top-mast was shattered in pieces, and the main-mast sent quite down to the keel. Five men were knocked down, and one of them was greatly bruised, and some other damage, of less importance, was done to the ship. Just before the explosion, the ball seemed to be of the size of a large millstone. 54 CORRECT RELATION OF SHIPWRECKS. No. XXII. Again the dismal prospect opens round, The wreck, the shore, the dying, and the drown'd. FALCONER. OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF THE LOSS OF THE BOREAS, I' SIR, Inconstant, in Guernsey Road, Nov. 29. is with the deepest regret I have to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that his Majesty's ship Boreas, in standing towards this island yesterday evening, about six o'clock, run upon the Hannois rocks, the wind at the time blowing very hard at N. E. I received information of this unfortunate event about two o'clock this morning, and immediately sent orders to the Brilliant and Jamaica (which had arrived from Spithead the preceding day, with the Rebuff gun brig), the Britannia cutter, and one of the government scouts, to proceed off the Hannois, and atord her every assistance: their lordships will be very much concerned to be informed, that on the tide's flowing the ship overset, and be came a complete wreck, at about two o'clock; and I am truly grieved to be obliged to add, that Captain Scott, with the officers and men, except those mentioned in the enclosed list, were lost with the ship: Lieutenant Bewick (second lieutenant), with Lieutenant Wilson, of the royal marines, and six men, were sent off in the gig, and landed in the western part of the island; and about thirty others in the launch and large cutter, were also landed, and the boats returned to the ship, but have not been heard of, and there is every reason to fear were lost on nearing her. Through the great exertions of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Thomas Saumarez, in collecting the pilots and boatmen in the vicinity of Rorquains, about thirty seamen and marines were taken off the rock of the Hannois at day-light, which, I fear, are the whole that have been saved. The greatest praise appears to be due to Captain Scott, and all his officers and men, for their steadiness and good conduct, under such perilous circumstances, in a dark and tempestuous night, in the midst of the most dangerous rocks that can be conceived; and I have most sincerely to lament the loss of so many brave officers and men who have perished on this most melancholy occasion. Captain Scott has been long upon this station, and has always shewn the greatest zeal and attachment for his majesty's service, and in him particularly his country meets a great loss, being a most valuable and deserving officer. I am, sir, Your most obedient humble servant, JAMES SAUMAREZ.” To the Hon. W. W. Pole, Secretary to the Admiralty. List of Officers and Men, and Royal Marines, saved from the Wreck of the Boreas Frigate, George Scott, Esq. Captain: Lieutenant Bewick Mr. Samuel Heming, midshipman Mr. Willian Simpson, boatswain John Meacham John Harrison Robert Erwin William Tonikins James Hewill Lieutenant Wilson E. Edmonds, private John Scrattan OFFICERS. T. Hoare, gunner Michael Macann, cook. SEAMEN. John Coclan George Rickner ROYAL MARINES. Paul Belaur John Maclane LOSS OF THE ANSON. THE following account of the loss of his majesty's frigate Anson, Captain Lydiard, is extracted from a letter, written by her second lieutenant (Gill), and dated Truro, January 9: "On the 27th of December, in the evening, we saw the Isle of |