350 Thunder-storm at London, 



the carriage, and my eyes were directed out of the front 

 window nearly towards the tree which was struck, but 

 which however I could not see. Two of my companions 

 were looking out of the window towards the house-door, 

 from which we were distant five or six feet. We were at 

 once enveloped by an excessively bright diffused blue light 

 of more than instantaneous duration, which appeared to 

 explode into sparks moving in zigzag lines in all directions. 

 My friends saw them between the carriage and the door, 

 and their motion was so strong as to make the pillars of 

 the porch appear to vibrate. The whole had very much 

 the effect of what in artificial fire-works is called a balloon, 

 which as it bursts throws out, from its luminous centre, 

 squibs in all directions. Simultaneous with these zigzag 

 sparks an astonishingly loud, heavy and single explosion 

 took place, similar in sound to the discharge of an enormous 

 cannon directly at us; but incomparably more violent. 



The explosion seemed quite on the ground, and was ac- 

 companied by a sensation of a dull concussion, as if a 

 vast weight had fallen from a great height on the soft earth 

 close by us. The sound rose in the air, rolling and echoing 

 for a very long time much like common thunder. 



Astonishment and terror kept us silent for a little while: 

 we then agreed to quit the coach and take shelter in the 

 house, the door of which remained open. A few heavy 

 drops of rain then fell. On re-entering the hall we found 

 the servants standing aghast at the stroke, which had seemed 

 to them to threaten to crush the whole building. A very 

 heavy rain now came on, which lasted for a few minutes. 

 We were all in fearful expectation of another explosion, 

 but nothing followed. The rain ceased, and we set out. 

 As we passed the gate which leads to the palace from Ken- 

 sington, we stopped, and asked the sentinel what he had seen 

 and felt. He told us that he could give no distinct account, 

 for that he was dazzled and nearly stunned by the stroke, 

 and was scarcely himself for a minute or two, but that it 

 seemed to him that avast cannon had been fired at him. 

 In our way to town we saw several severe flashes of light- 

 ning to the N. W. with very distant thunder, and by the 

 time we arrived in town the sky was nearly clear, and the 

 stars very bright. 



The succeeding day was bright sunshine, and for the sea- 

 son extremely hot ; the thermometer being -84 in the shade,' 

 and free from reflected heat. In the evening there was a 

 severe thunder-storm and heavy rain, but which did not 

 cool the air, for both Saturday and Sunday were nearly as 



hot 



