Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 2.djvu/351

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Chap. XI.]
TIDES.
313
1842
October.

broadside, they caused her to heel over as much as when under the heaviest press of sail she could carry. During some of the more violent of these hurricane squalls Lind's wind-gauge showed an amount of pressure equal to 36 lbs. on the square foot. These storms were generally predicted by a low barometer; and the Fuegians foretold them with still more certainty, when to us there appeared no sign of their approach. Easterly winds are generally light, and accompanied by fine weather and a high barometer, and the average force of the wind, 1.9, is less than at most other places.

The height of the tide was registered every half hour from the 27th of September to the 6th of November; and more frequently about the times of high and low water; the amount of semi-diurnal inequality of the tide is as great here as at the Falkland Islands, and at first seemed to present most unaccountable irregularities; but the limited period of observation did not admit of their thorough investigation: for practical purposes, however, the following are the results.

The first high water, after full moon on the 4th of October, occurred at 3h 15m; at new moon on the 19th at 4h 0m; and at full moon on the 2nd of November at 3h 37m; the mean time being 3h 37m.

At the quadratures it was high water at 9h 30m on the 27th of September; at 9h 0m on the llth of October; and at 9h 15m on the 26th of October; the mean time also being 9h 15m.

The highest tide occurs at either the seventh or