ARTIFICIAL RAINS. 517 



der storm visited the spot at nine o'clock in the evening. 

 Again, it happened, oddly enough, that the English line-of- 

 battle-ship, the Duke, of ninety guns, was struck with 

 lightning in the year 1793, whilst it was cannonading one 

 of the batteries of Martinico." 



This distinguished philosopher does not express the be- 

 lief that great fires favor the production of thunder show- 

 ers, though he adduces facts which lean strongly to that 

 side of the question. 



[From the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, June, 1841.] 



Professor Johnson drew the attention of the society to 

 the atmospheric phenomena attendant on extensive confla- 

 gration ; and stated, on the authority of Dr. H. King, of 

 Washington city, that the burning of the prairies in Wis- 

 consin and Missouri is frequently, and almost immediately, 

 followed by rain. This observation had been confirmed 

 to Dr. King by other observers ; and in the western coun- 

 try it had become a popular impression that a prairie-fire 

 was the forerunner of rain. 



Dr. Coates had met with a statement in Nichols's History 

 of Leicestershire, which bore on the same question ; viz., 

 that in the reign of one of the Stuarts, orders were sent to 

 a sheriff of Staffordshire to discontinue the burning of the 

 Ferns during the royal progress, because the operation was 

 usually followed by rain. 



Mr. Phillips adverted to the memorable hail storm which 

 occurred immediately after the last great fire at Constanti- 

 nople ; the fact being fully authenticated by Mr. Walsh and 

 Commodore Porter. That rain is common in South Amer- 

 ica after the burning of the Pampas, is familiar to meteoro- 

 logists ; and the attention of the members is especially so- 

 licited to this inquiry in order that a more extended series 

 of facts maybe collected and compared. 



