For the Term of His Natural Life

  Along the south coast of the Australian continent, though the usualwesterly winds and gales of the highest latitudes prevail during thegreater portion of the year, hurricanes are not infrequent. Galescommence at NW with a low barometer, increasing at W and SW, andgradually veering to the south. True cyclones occur at New Zealand.The log of the Adelaide for 29th February, 1870, describes one whichtravelled at the rate of ten miles an hour, and had all the veerings,calm centre, etc., of a true tropical hurricane. Now a cyclone occurringoff the west coast of New Zealand would travel from the New Hebrides,where such storms are hideously frequent, and envelop Norfolk Island,passing directly across the track of vessels coming from South Americato Sydney. It was one of these rotatory storms, an escaped tempest ofthe tropics, which threatened the Lady Franklin.