or WATER-SPOUT, an extraordinary and dangerous meteor, observed at sea, and sometimes at land, called by the Latins typho and sipho. Its first appearance is in form of a deep cloud, the upper part of which is white, and the lower black: then from the lower part of this cloud hangs, or rather falls down, what is properly called the spout, in form of a conical tube, biggest at top; and under this tube, there is always a great boiling, boiling and flying up of the water of the sea, as in a jet d'eau. For some yards above the surface of the sea, the water stands as a column or pillar, from the extremity whereof it spreads and goes off, as in a kind of smoke. Frequently, the cone descends so low, as to touch the middle of this column, and continue for some time contiguous to it; though sometimes it only points to it, at some distance, either in a perpendicular or oblique line. Frequently it is scarce distinguishable whether the cone, or the column appear the first, both appearing all of a sudden against each other. But sometimes the water boils up from the sea to a great height, without any appearance of a spout pointing to it, either perpendicularly or obliquely. Indeed, generally, the boiling or flying up of the water has the priority, this always preceding its being formed into a column. Generally, the cone does not appear hollow, till towards the end, when the sea-water is violently thrown up along its middle, as smoke up a chimney. Soon after this, the spout or canal breaks and disappears; the boiling up of the water, and even the pillar, continuing to the last, and for some time afterwards; sometimes till the spout form itself again, and appear anew; which it sometimes does several times in a quarter of an hour.

M. de la Pyme, from a near observation of two or three spouts in Yorkshire, described in the Philosophical Transactions, gathers, that the water-spout is nothing but a gyration of clouds by contrary winds, meeting in a point or centre; and there, where the greatest condensation and gravitation is, falling down into a pipe or great tube, somewhat like Archimedes's spiral screw; and, in its working and whirling motion, absorbing and raising the water, in the same manner as the spiral screw does; and thus detroying ships, &c.