418 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



digging; many of them are of Do- 

 niitian. 



6th. The most violent storm that 

 has occurred in or near the capital 

 for many years took place this 

 morning, between five and seven 

 o'clock. 7he thunder was more 

 than commonly loud and awful, and 

 tht! lightning bore the resemblance 

 of red and glowing balls of fire. — 

 Many persons felt shaken in their 

 beds, and light articles were moved, 

 in many instances, as if by an earth- 

 quake. At Kensington Gore, seve- 

 ral trees were split to pieces ; a 

 stack of chimneys, belonging to Mr. 

 Morgan, in that quarter, was demo- 

 lished, as was part of his park-wall, 

 ■while redoubled showers came pour- 

 ing from the sky. 



IVIr. Williams, proprietor of the 

 great copper-works in Buckingham- 

 shire, has been robbed, at various 

 times, lately, of ten tons of copper, 

 value lOOOl. Mr. W. suspecting a 

 neighbouring paper-maker's cart to 

 be conveying paper from the mill at 

 unseasonable hours, in order to 

 cheat the excise, had it stopped, 

 when, lo ! instead of paper, the cart 

 contained 800 weight of Mr. Wil. 

 liams's copper ! 



Mr. Fuseli, having accepted the 

 situation of keeper at the Royal 

 Academy, has been under the neces- 

 sity of relinquishing the professor- 

 ship of painting; as the laws of the 

 academy do not permit one member 

 to occupy two olVices. The elec- 

 tion of a professor took place lately, 

 at a general meeting of academicians, 

 when Mr. Opie was unanimously 

 chosen. 



The duke of York is appointed, 

 by his majesty, colonel of the first 

 regiment of guards, warden and 

 keeper of New Forest, and ranger 

 «f llamptou-court park, vacant by 



the decease of the late duke of 

 Gloucester. Of the two ranger- 

 ships aboveraentioned, that of Hamp- 

 ton-court has the advantage, ia 

 point of residence : the paviilioa 

 there being an elegant and respect, 

 able dwelling. The lodge in the 

 new forest is chiefly respectable for 

 its antiquity, there being not above 

 three or four habitable apartments 

 in it. The pride of this latter j)lace 

 is what is called Keeper's Hall, with 

 its old oak benches and tables, 

 where the forest courts have been 

 held for ages, and still are held. — 

 The king and queen passed several 

 days here in 1789. 



A poor woman, about 70 years 

 of age, intending to cross the iron 

 drawbridge, Wapping-docks, mis- 

 took her way, and walking into the 

 collVr-dam, was drowned. 



The violent thunder-storm, this 

 day, at Canterbury, lasted about 2 

 hours, and extended very generally 

 and widely. It is described as aw- 

 fully tremendous at almost every 

 place : in the metropolis, and in the 

 whole of East Kent, it appears to 

 have raged with equal fury, nearly 

 at the same time. Near Ilythe, the 

 lightning assumed the appearance of 

 a ball of fire, and dispersed itself iu 

 the garden of a small cottage, with- 

 out doing any damage. At Patrix- 

 born, ab nit six o'clock, it struck 

 the end of the barn of Mr. Dilnot 

 on the point of the roof, passed 

 along the top, to which it set fire, 

 and at the same time penetrated 

 through the thatch to the floor, 

 Avhich, being spread with loose 

 straw, was immediately in a blaze. 

 One side of the barn w as filled with 

 wheat, and a waggon full of wheat 

 had been drawn into the barn, 

 which Mr. Dilnot's servants were 

 unloading : neither of them were 



hurt. 



