STrange and Wonderful are the ways of Divine and Governing Providence, in the management of the several Changes and Alte­rations on this Terrestrial Globe, the ways of the Almighty being unsearchable and past finding out; yet he is often pleased to give us warning of his Displeasure with us, for our Manifold Sins and Iniqui­ties committed against his Divine Majesty; That we may yet turn from them and Live: And as he hath placed the Rain-Bow in the Heavens as a Sign or Token to the Wretched Sons and Daughters of Adam, that he will no more Destroy the World by Water, so he often gives us notice when his Wrath and Anger is kindled against us, by Signs in the Heavens, Air, Earth, and Waters; often letting loose the powers of the Air, to rove about the World in Storms and Tem­pests: but we have seldome heard of Hurricanes so violent as this, whereof take the following Relation.

By Letters from Fort St. George of the 5th. of February last past, we have Advice that on the third of November, 1684. at the said Fort St. George in the East-Indies, a Factory of the English, about Nine of the Clock at Night happened a Violent Storm, which lasted until two of the Clock the next Morning, in which time it wrought wonderous Effects, to the great Astonishment of the Inhabitants, who were at a [Page]greater Consternation at the extreem fierceness of the Tempest, than ever any Garison was, that was taken by Storm; some concluding that the Dreadful day of Doom was come; the great amazing sound of it made the Wisest Tremble, and the most bold and Valiant, faint-Hearted: It untiled all the Houses in the Town, which made such a Ratling and terrible Noise, as if some thousands of Bombs had been thrown into the Town by an Enemy. It laid all their Gardens, (of which they have many Curious and pleasent ones) as flat and level as the smothest Bouling-Greens. Trees which were of a great and prodigious Growth, some of them perhaps as Ancient as the World, were Violently torn up by the Roots, and their Aged Trunks riven in Pieces: The noise of the cracking and breaking of their Boughs and Branches, seemed almost to equal that of the Tempest; but that which the most of all added to their Amazement was this, a strong Iron-Bar which belonged to a Window, (a thing hardly Credible) was with the extreem force of the Wind, snapped into three Pieces. Which things had not the Relator of this from Forte St. George, been an Eye Witness the next Day, and of the Ruins caused by this Tempest, or Hurricane, he could not have believed it; and adds further, that had it continued but for two or three Hours longer, it had certainly leveled both the Fort and Town, which are both strong built, and well Fortified; but no doubt but this Storm hath been very Prejudi­cial to both, and done great Damage to the Inhabitants: I shall con­clude with the Relators own Words: The Lord be Praised for this Cessation, and grant us deliverance from such Storms and Tempests, to which had not the Providence of Almighty God in his great Wis­dom put an end, and rebuked the Violence of its Rage, that Stately Fort and Town had certainly been laid even with the Ground, to the unspeakable Damage of the Right Honourable the East-India Compa­ny here.