¥ Miscellanies. | 211 
perature, and the quarter of the heavens in which the shower origina- 
ted, is difficult to account for. It resembled one of those tropical 
storms which announce the breaking up of the dry, and the commence- 
ment of the wet season. 
- About the middle of the afternoon of the 14th, masses of clouds were 
ited in the N. and N. E., and the presence of the cirri con- 
nected with them, clearly indicated their character. At 5 0’clock dis- 
tant thunder could be heard; and at dusk the horizon from N. to N. E. 
was almost constantly illuminated by continued flashes of lightning. 
These seemed to originate mostly from two points, one nearly N. and 
the other about N. E.* The movement of these clouds was so very slow, 
that the storm did not commence until past 9 o’clock in the evening, 
and was at its height from half past 9 till 10 o’clock. During the ap- 
proach and continuance of the shower, the appearance was strikingly 
sublime. ‘There was scarce a moment in which streams of electric 
fluid were not pouring from the clouds in dazzling brilliancy ; and peal 
after peal succeeded each other with such rapidity, that the roar and 
rattle was continuous and deafening, and so violent that windows, build- 
_ ings, and even the solid earth, trembled with the concussions. It was 
not the deep rolling thunder of the summer cloud, in which only an oc- 
casional discharge of electricity reaches the earth; but those sharp, 
instantaneous and crashing reports, which told that the fire of heaven’s 
artillery was as effective as it was rapid. That such was the case is 
acres, it struck in no less than five different places. As already observ- 
pa there was no wind, and the rain poured perpendicularly in sudden 
_ dashes ; now, as though the sluices of the clouds were opened, and then 
ie: iting as totally as if they had been instantaneously closed. 
_ ~The destructive effects of the lightning show that the central points 
of the storm passed from the north; one, a little west of the central 
part of Onondaga county, and the other crossed in the same direction 
‘over Oneida and Madison counties. We have noticed in the journals 
_ Of these three counties the destruction of no less than nineteen barns, 
with sheds, cowhouses, &c., and in the county of Cortland, two barns, 
one dwelling house, and several outhouses ; and every where in the 
course of the showers, great numbers of horses, cattle, sheep, and 
swine were killed. Fortunately, although several dwelling houses were 
struck, and many persons were knocked down or severely peas 
there were none killed, so fer as we have learned. 
cea eer 
es — 
ag Elbe remambored that the place of ebavain was about fitsen miles 
W. of S. from Syracuse, Onondaga Co 
