pecially near Cape Comorin, where the monsoons are found sooner than on any other part of the coast. When the wind veers to N.W., which is the prevailing wind during this month, it brings fine weather. In the nights of May and June the coast is visited by heavy squalls from the high lands. At the end of May, and about the time of the syzygies, or the first part of June, the S.W. monsoon almost generally returns. Its advent is announced by heavy clouds, with a squall from S.E. varying to S.W. and stormy weather for several days. After this the monsoon sets in from South to S.W. On the northern parts of the coast of Hindostan during this monsoon the wind varies from W.S.W. to S.W. The monsoon commences sooner at Cape Comorin than at Bombay, where it is not established till fifteen or twenty days later. During this monsoon squalls and rain with a very heavy sea are found on this coast, and May is one of the worst months for navigation. In June and July there is some improvement, and by the end of July it is still better.

In August the weather is rather finer, the monsoon not so strong as in the preceding month, and there are bright sunny intervals. The bad weather comes from W.N.W., chiefly on the South part of the coast, as well as N.W., which is the prevailing wind at this period near Cape Comorin.

In September the weather brightens and some fine days occur with the winds from West and W.N.W. This month, however, is not free from squally weather, the wind is not so violent, but the weather is mostly rainy and stormy, with winds varying from S. W. to W.N.W. There is a heavy swell from W.S.W., principally in the intervals of calm between the squalls.

In October the weather is much the same as in September, till the time of the syzygy, when it becomes uncertain on account of the change of monsoon.

At the end of October and November, when the S.W. monsoon is light, near the coast as above observed alternate land and sea breezes are found.

The Laccadives.-The Laccadives are subject to the influence of the monsoons prevailing on the adjoining coast. It has been observed that between the South coast of Ceylon and these islands, during the S.W. monsoon, the winds are almost constant from this direction, that they only vary from W.S.W. to S.S.W., and rarely veer to South. These winds are tolerably fresh: they increase in force, and stormy weather is found, as these islands are approached. We must, however except the end of September and beginning of November, periods when the winds are light but interrupted by storms and rain near those islands.

From the beginning of November to the end of February, a time when along the coast of Hindostan land and sea breezes alternately prevail about these islands and even to a distance of sixty or eighty leagues from their western shore, the wind is continually from North to N.E., varying three or four points in the twenty-four hours, and even veering to East in the night.

In March and April we find at the same distance from the shore the wind from North and N.N.W., varying from two to four points in the twenty-four hours, but generally coming from N.N.W.

In May these winds are variable, and sometimes come from West, when the S. W. monsoon is about setting in. When this monsoon is established, S.W. and West winds are found off the coast, with a heavy sea. This weather, however, is not so bad as that near the coast. The storms are less violent and the rains not so heavy.

In September, when the S.W. monsoon slackens, calms prevail near the islands, and off the coast N.W. winds are found, which last till the N.E. monsoon is established. This latter sometimes does not begin till November.

The Maldives.-In February, March, and April, and especially in these two last months, among the Maldive Islands we find N.W. winds varying to W.N.W. The dry season is from October to April, though rain sometimes falls in October. During this season East winds prevail, and are very steady; but according to some seamen in the N.E. monsoon they are only light.

In March winds from N.N.E. and S.W. currents are often found well to the westward of the Maldives.

Island of Ceylon.-The island of Ceylon, at the southern extremity of Hindostan, with its West coast following the same direction as that of Malabar, and its Eastern coast that of Coromandel, may be considered each as an extension of the other, and sharing the same wind and weather as are found on the coasts of Malabar and Coromandel. The two monsoons succeed each other and last about six months. At the end of October the N.E. monsoon takes the place of that from S.W., the seasons change at the same time. On the West coast of Ceylon the N.E. monsoon brings the fine season; while on the East coast it is accompanied with storms and a heavy sea, and either continual rain, or dark cloudy and foggy weather. Such weather prevails at this time of the year between the Basses and Point Palmyras, while fine weather is found between Galle and Jaffnapatam, a town situated in the bay of Palk.

At the end of December and in January variable winds are found throughout a space of fifteen leagues round Ceylon.

On the West coast of this island, and as far as the point de Galle, strong West and S. W. winds are found about the end of March or beginning of April, and last till the month of October. They are generally stronger on the North than on the South part of this coast.. The N.E. monsoon follows with fine weather.

On the South coast of the island West winds prevail more or less. throughout the year, for even when the N.E. monsoon is in full force, we find alternate breezes regularly established here. Those from the land during the morning blow from East to N.E., and towards noon those from the sea blowing from West or S.W. Then North of Cape Basses we find a N.E. wind, which is generally pretty strong, on the East coast of Ceylon.

On the South coast in October and November, strong Westerly

varying to N.N.W. winds are found. Heavy stormy weather, interrupted by calms and light winds, or fresh sea breezes, also is found here. In December N.N.E. winds prevail at point de Galle, varying to E.N.E. Off the coast they incline to East, and at this time the monsoon is in full force.

The S.W. monsoon begins on the East coast of Ceylon in February or March; it does not, however, reach to the northward of this island before the beginning of April or May. About the end of March at Trincomalee and the promontory of Palmyras, the weather is then squally with rain. Storms from N.W. are felt at the end of April, and they happen at intervals during the monsoon. In April over all

the East coast of Ceylon the winds are generally variable and moderate. They come from East to S.E. during the day, and incline South towards evening; during the first part of the night, the land brecze is from S.W. and West, aud these blow alternately. The S.W. monsoon prevails on the N.E. coast of this island about the middle or towards the end of this month, about fifteen days sooner than on the coast of Coromandel. In May we find nearly the same winds as those of April, being from S.E. to South during the day, and from S.W. at night. After the middle of May the sea breeze is at an end, but fresh and sometimes very strong winds blow constantly between S.W.b.W. and S.W.b.S., bringing fine weather.

In June, July, and August, and even to the middle of September, Westerly winds blow without interruption. In the month of August, however, on the N.E. coast, a sea breeze, varying from East to S.E., sets in towards noon. It ceases at night, and the West winds then take its place.

Bay of Palk.-In Palk Bay, during May, June, and July, S.S.W. winds are violent, and at the change of monsoon on the East coast of this island, as before stated, alternate land and sea breezes are found.

On the East coast of Ceylon in September and October the same winds are found as on the coast of Coromandel, which will be hereafter stated. In October, November, and December, rain falls only in the North part of this island. The other months are attended by fogs and very heavy dews.

During the N.E. monsoon on this coast the weather is fine, with fresh breezes from North and N.b.E. In December and January it blows fresh from the northward.

Gulf of Manar.-The N.E. monsoon only extends as far as Point de Galle. At the same time, in the Gulf of Manar the wind is constantly from N.E., and sometimes very strong. In this gulf during the monsoon it is said that at about thirty miles South of Cape Comorin the atmosphere is free from cloud or mist, a condition which indicates the limit of rain and bad weather. But this is doubted, and it is considered that on the West coast of Ceylon the same weather is experienced as on the Malabar coast.

(To be continued.)

NEW MODE OF BENDING TIMBER.

Among the novelties of the day-the changes which circling seasons introduce year after year-is the very extraordinary one of bending huge pieces of timber to the curves required in the forms of ships. It is very well known in ship-building that where the frame of the ship, so remarkable for peculiar and graceful lines, as they are called, requires curved timber to be adapted to those lines the hard woods are generally used, frequently requiring first to be cut at a considerable loss, and hence an additional expense is incurred to that inherent to them from their very nature. In fact, straight timber is common enough and cheap enough, but curved timber-or bent timber as it is more generally termed-is altogether another article, and one of much greater value, owing to its nature and scarceness. But our ships require it, at least those which form England's wooden walls-for iron will never become a substitute for them, being left to our merchant princes-and therefore bent timber must be had.

This fact seems to have been as well known to our friends across the Atlantic, and hence, among other productions of their ingenuity, we have imported the astounding art of making our straight timber answer the purpose of curved by simply bending it to the required form. Those who know what the timbers of a ship are in point of size will no doubt marvel, as we ourselves did when witnessing the process by which this extraordinary fact is accomplished.

Still, fact it is, and we will briefly state what we witnessed. A piece of ash timber, seven and a half inches thick by thirteen broad and about twelve feet long, was securely fixed in a huge iron frame, consisting of two arms, we might say, and so completely wedged in to them as to be immovable. The part of it where the bend was to be formed was compelled to take the curve of a huge circular central iron, round which one of the legs of the iron frame was made to turn, the pressure on the timber being still maintained by a series of jointed chain which kept it firmly in its grasp. In this condition the leverage of the iron frame was exerted by means of a rope passing through a block at the end of the arm and gradually drawing the arm to the required angle, thus obliging the timber to take the curve given to it by the central iron. A small steam-engine of three or four horse-power performed this operation in something less than half an hour; and when in its required form the specimen operated on lies in the state to which it has been rendered for a day. An iron brace then secures the two ends and it is cast aside to dry from a slight process of steaming to which it has been submitted before the grand operation. While this was going forward we observed the superintendent watching it and directing an occasional small release in the rigid fastness with which it had been secured lengthwise in the frame, and which we attributed to its stretching in that direction from the mere force of pres

sure.

After this, to say that we also saw a good thick piece of plank

(straight it was too) obliged by a similar process of pressure to assume the form of a complete circle, the two ends actually butting against each other, would excite no surprise; or that it was actually turned by the same process inside out, or reversed-that is, what had been the outer surface of this once straight plank, but now circular one, was by the same process made the inner one will occasion no great surprise, otherwise than the fibres of the wood quietly submitting to so much torture, and we thought that, although, as it is said, one good turn deserves another, they did not accommodate themselves to their new places so readily or with that yielding disposition as in the first

turn.

Another experiment which we witnessed-highly illustrative of the strength acquired by timber which has undergone this process was this:-A piece of bent plank, not two feet long, lay on the ground, and as it stood like a small arch not all the force applied with a heavy iron maul beating on it could either break it or alter its form.

Several large specimens of this kind of bent timber lay aboutamong them was one converted to form a knee, the use of which is well known to our readers-and abundance of small specimens; one of which consisted of a wheel, the tyre of which was made of two pieces of bent wood, which looked as perfect a piece of workmanship as another of the usual construction by the side of it, but much more expensive, although said not to be so strong as its newly-born neighbour. Altogether we came from the scene of operation highly gratified with what we had witnessed. But we shall now allow this extraordinary process to be referred to by its proprietors, adding our opinion that in point of strength the timber gains by the powerful action to which it is subjected :

"The importance of the invention to which the directors of the Patent Timber Bending Company desire to call the attention of the public, can hardly be over-estimated, for it is well known that wood, from the vast range of its employment, ranks next to cotton and iron in the amount of capital it engages, and the variety of purposes for which it is used.

"After the most careful investigation, and after obtaining opinions upon the subject from scientific and practical men, the directors believe the invention to be one of the most valuable of modern times, and one which must have a beneficial effect upon all trades which involve the use of curved timber. The following statement will sufficiently prove to all persons acquainted with the working of wood, that the directors do not attach an undue value to the patent.

"By the Report of Capt. John Ford, O.N.:-"All woods, whether English or foreign, can be bent to any form, angle, or curve, by machinery so simple and cheap that it can be obtained by persons of the most moderate means."

"Dr. Hooker's Report also says:-"The strength of the wood is increased by the operation at least seventy-five per cent., at the very point most required; the fibres are not in any way injured; no action can disturb the form given; the wood becomes almost impervious to