Thunder-storm at London. 34$ 



mentioned experiments made by Hauksbee till about the 

 year 174 9*. It is also worthy of remark, that although the 

 necessity of introducing corrections on account of the al- 

 terations of the barometer and thermometer were likewise 

 shown to be absolutely necessary by Dr. Halley t, and the 

 circumstance mentioned, and in some degree admitted by 

 Le Monnier J, yet it does not appear that he followed the 

 advice of his illustrious contemporary, but merely endea- 

 voured, as Cassini did, to reconcile his observations with the 

 state of the thermometer at the time of making these obser- 

 vations, without taking the barometer into account§. 



[To be continued.] 



LXI V. Some Particulars respecting the Thunder-storm at 

 London* and in its Vicinity, on the 3\st of August 1810. 

 By SirH. C. Englefield, Bart. F.R.S. and F.S.A. 



To Mr. Tilloch. 



Sir, x\s the stroke of thunder, which was felt in London 

 at about half after two o'clock in the morning of the 31st 

 of August last, was, perhaps, the most violent and awful 

 ever experienced in this country, you may not think the 

 following account of it from an eye-witness, and who was 

 very near the spot where it fell and did mischief, unworthy 

 of insertion in your Journal. 



I was with three friends in a coach standing at a house 

 where we had supped. The house-door was still open, and 

 there was a strong light from a large lustre in the hall, full 

 on the coach, and two very bright lamps at the door of the 

 house. This circumstance was in favour of our seeing the 

 nature of the light distinctly ; for, had we been in the dark, its 

 excessive brightness would have so dazzled our eyes as to 

 prevent all distinct vision. As we got into the coach there 

 was a small mizzling rain, and a very strong flash of distant 

 lightning in the N.E., but no thunder that we could hear. 

 The servants at the door said there had been much distant 

 lightning for an hour or two. 



The sky over head appeared very dark, but the lights pre- 

 vented accurate observation of it. We were just seated in 



* Mem. de I'Acad. 1749, p. 106.— Probably this was on account of some 

 reflections made by him on the French philosophers who repeated his experi- 

 ments before the Ro.yal Academy of Paris, and failed in their results. — 

 Vide his book, p. 196. 



f Philosophical Transactions 1720, No. 364. 



| Hist. Celeste, 4to. Paris, 1741. 



§ See the whole of his Discours prelim, prefixed to tbe work before cited. 



the 



