Lightning-Conductors in Ships. 305 



(k) His Majesty's ship Norge, at anchor in Port Royal har- 

 bour, Jamaica, June 1815, was severely damaged by lightning, 

 so that she was completely disabled in her masts and rigging. 

 Several ships surrounded the Norge, but none were struck ex- 

 cept a merchant ship, rchich, like the Norge, had not a light- 

 ning-conductor. All the other ships had lightning-conductors 

 up at the time. Amongst them was H. M. ship Warrior, of 

 74 guns ; which ship was lying close to the Norge. The elec- 

 tric matter was observed, as appears by a very interestmg ac- 

 count given by Admiral Rodd, " absolutely to stream down 

 the conductor into the sea." 



(Z) To the instance above given of H. M. S. Etna, struck by 

 lightning in the Corfu Channel (/*) p. 159, may be added the 

 circumstance of H. M. ships Madagascar and Mosquito being 

 also near, and struck several times ; the former having had her 

 fore-mast and mizen-top-mast much damaged. 



{in) The Heckingham Poor-House, damaged by lightning, 

 an account of which may be seen in the Transactions of the 

 Royal Society, was struck at a point the furthest removed from 

 the conductors with which that building was furnished. 



(n) In the 14th volume of the Transactions of the Royal 

 Society, there is a similar case of a long building, struck at one 

 end, a conductor having been applied to the other : that is to 

 say, the lightning aZ^o fell on a point, the furthest removed from 

 the conductor. 



(o) The case of the New York Packet ship (t) (/), p. 158, 

 is also an instance of lightning having equally fallen on the ship, 

 whether furnished with a lightning-conductor or not, 



26. It may be further remarked, that lightning-rods have 

 now been in use for upwards of eighty years, and applied to 

 every magazine in Europe, without ill consequences, in virtue 

 of any attracting power assumed to belong to them ; and like- 

 wise to buildings and ships in abundance; and from the whole 

 course of experience, it will be found, that atmospheric dis- 

 charges have almost invariably occurred where lightning-rods 

 have not been present ; that in cases in which hghtning-rods 

 have been present, and efficiently applied, the damage has been 

 avoided altogether. 



27. Some further appeal to experience, from which we should 



