■632 J A i\I A I C A. 



tree of feveral feet diameter, from a thunder fliower, the llglitiiing fell 

 on the tree, fevered it in two, and killed bimj his body was driven to 

 fonie diftance by the force of the ftroke. 



From the effeds, obferved on trees that have been ftrnck with any 

 conliderable flafh, it feems, that the lightning, by fuddenly deftroying 

 •the air whieh furrounds them, or highly rarefying the :-;ir and aqueous 

 particles contained within them, caules their tubes and veflels to burlr 

 afnndcr, much in the fame manner as large blocks of folid wood are 

 rent in pieces, bj the expanfion of gunpowder, which deftroys their 

 <:ontinuity. 



Two Negroes afcending towards the fummit of a hill, with iron 

 ■bill-hooks on their heads, in a thunder-fform, were both killed by a 

 liroke of lightning, attracted ; no doubt, by the hooks. 



1763, in September, the lightning fell twice in Spanifh Town, but 

 pro\identially hurt no perfon. The firft ftroke darted on a tall tamar- 

 -ind tree, and fhivered it. The fecond, which happened Sept. 3, fell 

 on two cocoa-nut trees about 50 feet high, which grew between the 

 -gate of a yard and the corner of a dwelling-houfe, about 15 feet 

 lower from the ridge to the ground, and diftant from the trees about 

 20 feet. There were other buildings near, which were taller than the 

 fummit of the trees. It was evidently attracted by the fliarp apex of 

 •the fpatha which rifes from their crown, tapering into a fine point. 

 After the lightning had cut off their tops, and fet them on fire, it 

 •darted off to the hinges, and other maffive iron work about tlie gates; 

 it wrenched the pofts, on which they were hung, out of their place.?, 

 and fhattered the gates. Another fiream flew to a fmallcr gate about 

 iive feet high, diredly in a line with the fore-door of the houfe, and 

 not above twenty feet diftant, wrenched the iron work, and damaged 

 -the gate; but not the fmalleft injury was done to the houfe. 



On the 14th of the fame month, the clouds appeared extremely 

 .black over Liguanea, and there feemed to fliU a very hard rain. 



1'he leeward edge of thefe clouds was high in the atmofphere, and 

 extended over Spanifh Town, but not fufRcicntly far to the Weft- 

 svard, fo as to fcreen it from the fun. The air was confequently very 

 fultry, and we had one fevere clap of thunder, which, following the 

 ilafli in a fecond of time, was fuppofcd at no great diftance from us. 

 About ten minutes after two o'clock P. M. I was jult about 

 quitting my chamber, where I had been dreffing, when 1 heard a vio- 

 lent bounce or fliock againll the door, m if fomc perfon on the outfidc 

 had violently thrown the whole weight of his body at once to force it 

 open; almoft at the fame inflant, the faflies of the windows being up, 

 1 felt -the impreffion of a fudden (troke of air upon me, fuch as happens 



to 



