on the Night of Smdn/, July 30, 1 S20. 1 23 



was forked, and a most tremendous clap of tlnuKler followed iii- 

 stantlv, which absolutely shook tlie house. From this moment 

 the grandeur and sublimity of the storm I)egan to decline; not a 

 flash of liehtning, after this, issued from either of the fiimlii, the 

 zone of light becauie fainter, and less frequent in its coruscations, 

 and in the course of twenty minutes, or half au hour at furthest, 

 all was darkness and silence. 



It mav be proper here to remark, that the thermometer indi- 

 cated no ditfereiice of temperature during the storm, nor the 

 barometer, except that the surface of the mercury was concave: 

 ill the morning following, at 9, it had sunk -JJ^dths of an inch, 

 i)eing 29'95. The wind also remained, and iia'i continued ever 

 since, in the S.W. quarter. It is pretty evident there were two 

 storms in opposite jjoints of the heavens at the same time, one 

 of which came up with, and one against the wind; this seems 

 confirmed ijy their distance from each otlier, and the totally dif- 

 ferent complexion of the lightning. Owing to the extreme bril- 

 liancy of the latter, the appearance of the clouds in the nimbi 

 could be easily ascertained; they seemed Co consist entirely of 

 cuninli huddled together in a thin watery medium of inkv black- 

 ness; the edges of these clouds were ill defined, but at their bases 

 they appeared so dark as, at the first glance, to risemble more 

 the ilmtwi than the cumulus. The constancy and brightness of 

 the lightning that seemed confined to the horizon, and its very 

 long duration in the heavens, existing undiminished in splendour 

 for the space of an hour and a quarter, were truly astonishing. 

 In the yellowness of its hue, the quivering motion it assumed on 

 issuing from the clouds, and in being unaccompanied with thun- 

 der, it strongly resem!)led the harndess lightning often seen in 

 the eveninsi< of midsununer, after a close sultry day. It was 

 very evident this ligiitningwas unattended with thunder, since the 

 latter ceased at intervals for the space of one or two minutes, 

 sometimes more, during which cessation of tumult this beautiful 

 light continued coruscating and illuminating the embattled plain 

 with " all its airy forces." It seemed like au excess of the electric 

 matter silently escaping from the over-charged clouds. Judging 

 from the different appearance of the lightning, and tiie sudden 

 subsiding of the storm when the dense black cumnhis became 

 situated between the two nimbi, as well as the violent clap and 

 vivid flash observable at that time, may it not be probable these 

 two great magazines were in opposite states of electricity? and 

 that, like the connecting wire in a gal\iuiic battery, {*' pai'vis 

 rnmponvre magna!") this neutral cloud simply brought tlicni 

 within the sphere of each otiier's attraction, thus completing 

 the grand circle of coinniunicatiou. 

 Cluphuiu Coaiuioii, Aug. 6, 18-0. 



Q 2 XIX. Re 



