Scientific Intelligence. 193 
2. Examination of Patent claims.—Since 1826, the application 
for patents in Piedmont and Sardinia, have been referred to the Acad- 
emy of Sciences at Turin, with the intention of negativing all those 
_ founded in ignorance or knavery, and supporting only those which 
are true improvements, and in their effects really advantageous to the 
arts. Although the number of patents has been excessively dimin- 
ished in consequence, yet it appears that the applications have in- 
creased in an extraordinary degree. The academicians, though 
much engaged in the year 1826, in examining claims, were poorly 
rewarded by the occurrence of actual improvements : only two ma- 
chines were brought forward which received their sanction.—IJdem. 
3. French eggs and apples.—63,109,618 hens’ eggs, and 14,182 
bushels of apples were imported from France into England, in the 
year 1827.—Jdem. 
UNARRANGED MISCELLANIES, DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN. *© 
1. Particulars of the striking of Lightning over a great surface, 
but with little injury, communicated to Mr. N. Clark of New Ha- 
ven, by Mr. O. H. Bryant, clerk in the State Prison at Charles- 
town, Mass. July 31st, 1829.—Yesterday, we had a severe shock of 
lightning at the prison. It rained in torrents, and a dense mass of 
highly charged clouds spent their embosomed electricity on and 
about us. I was looking out of my office window, to discover the 
direction in which the clouds were moving, when a flash, accompa- 
nied by a rustling noise like that of small shot thrown upon stiff 
paper, and a feeling as if all the energy of my muscles was at 
once withdrawn, and an almost insuperable inclination to fall back 
on the floor, convinced me that I had been struck with light- 
ning. But I only tottered back a few steps and recovered myself 
immediately. On leaving my office to inquire what mischief had 
been done, I learned of the officers, that almost all of them, as 
well as many of the convicts, had been affected like myself. My 
office is in the brick building directly south, and in front of the pri- 
son, about three hundred and sixty feet from the north wall of the 
prison yard. Between the office and the prison building, ts a large 
yard, perhaps one hundred and fifty feet wide ; the length enclosed 
by the wall is four hundred and eighty feet ; the width three aed 
dred and sixty feet. The prison has three conductors on It, about 
equidistant from each other, say eighteen feet. ‘The lightning passed 
Vor. XVII.—No. 1. 25 ; 
