82,6 JAMAICA. 



In 176-6, It fell on the turret of Port Royal church, and damaged it* 

 very much. The powder magazine in Fort Charles, at no great diftance 

 from it, has a folid terraced roof of brick, of a conical figure, round which 

 are fixed feveral iron hooks, for better enabling workmen to repair it. 

 Thefe were all corroded with ruft, notwithftanding which, if they had 

 lain within the fphere of adion of the lightning's ftroke, the confe- 

 quences would, in all probability, have been verv terrible and fatal. 



In the Vale of Luidas (the date forgot) the lightning fell upon a bell, 

 which was raifed on a timber frame about i 5 feet high, very near the 

 gable end of a gentleman's houfc. The axis upon which the bell turned, 

 had an iron handle fixed into it, to which the rope was fattened. This 

 handle made an acute angle, prefenting its point upwards, and fo became 

 an attrador. The bell was tofl'ed to fome dittance, the frame fhivered ta 

 pieces, and a fplinter of it driven through one of the window- fh utters, 

 but no other damage occurred to the houfe. 



Happening in the month of Oftober to be traveling in company on the 

 Northfide, in the midfl: of the rainy leafon, the rain poured down in fuch 

 torrents, that our cloaths were all dripping wet to the very fkin ; and my 

 hat was fo drenched, as to let the water percolate through like a lieve y 

 in this condition we were fuddenly inveloped with a multitude of little 

 fparks of pale blue fulphureous fire, (napping like the eledric difcharges, 

 but muchfmarter and louder, accompanied by one of the moil: dreadful 

 claps of thunder 1 ever heard; my horfe was lo terrified, that he jumped 

 at once upon a rock on one fide of the road, wheve he flood trembling in 

 every joint; 1 was obliged to dilmount, and get him off as w-ell as I could 

 to a contiguous bank, and was not a little pleafed, whtn 1 found that 

 none of the company had been hurt. We attributed our efcape to the- 

 quantity of rain water ftreaming from our cloaths and horles, which pro-? 

 bably condu61:ed away whatever particles fell upon us, though we were 

 not fenfible that any came fo near. After this, my horfe required neither- 

 whip nor fpur to urge him on; for at every clap of ihundrr, though i.t 

 a preat diftance, he mended his pace to the end of the journey. 



In July '767,. the lightning llruck-.the main mail of a merchant^fiiip 

 at Morant Bay^ and fpllt it, in pieces.- 



In the fpjne month it killed a Nearoe bov, who had t:ken refuse ur.-- 

 der a tree from the rain, near the foot of Guy's Hill in Sixteen-mile- walk. 



And in this month it alio fell on a cane-piece in the country, and burnt 

 about eight feet fquare of cane?, I examined the ipot, but could not per- 

 ceive any veftige of furrows, or perforations in the earth. 



There was much thunder during this montli and Augufl; the weather, 

 in the latter month extreiiicly hot, and one day, in Spaniih Town, the 

 th'.rmometer role to 93, which was i degree highci: than ever 1 remarked. 



here, either before or lince. 



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