OF THE HEAVENS AND THE AIR. s 



many of the able induftrious poor into agues and fluxes, though 

 not mortal, yet bringing them under the fear, and almoft under 

 the fight of, a grave. The poor cattle are alfo fenfible of it, cows 

 efpecially ; whofe milk becomes coagulated, thick, and vifcid ; 

 a watery, ftringy humour falling from their noftrils ; their cheeks 

 fwelled, the pain forcing tears from their eyes in heavy drops. 

 But be it remembered, that this is the flate of the air only for a 

 few years pail, and not peculiar to this county. 



Thunder-Storms are not very frequent. A little before Midfum- 

 mer, in 1756, we had a very remarkable one ; the lightning and 

 explofions dreadful. It entered and demoliihed all the windows 

 of the New Inn at Cholkrfonl-Bridge, upon the banks of Nortb- 

 Tyne, except thofe in the kitchen, overturned a cheft of drawers 

 Handing againft the wall between two beds in a chamber on the 

 firft floor, did not touch the fore-part next the windows, but mat- 

 tered the back-parts, not injuring the beds. The family in the 

 kitchen were under great confternation. Mrs. Lightfoot, the land- 

 lord's wife, happened to have a child in her arms, with which 

 under her furprize and terror, fhe fell to the ground, but provi- 

 dentially neither flie or the child received the leaft harm. 



We had a very uncommon Thunder-Shoiver, with aftonifhing 

 flafhes of lightning, on Friday afternoon, iSth June, 1760, at 

 Simonburn ; the air ftill, ferene, and warm, the fky clear, except a 

 black cloud. It continued three quarters of an hour. In that 

 fmall fpace, the rivulet of Simonburn rofe about fourteen feet per- 

 pendicular by Nuntvick- bridge. Diminutive and fcanty ftreamlets 

 aflumed in an inftant almoft the pomp of rivers. Huge rocks 

 rolled in the w.aves, in company with large roots and trunks of 

 trees, which were fcattered on the adjoining meadows, and in a 

 pleafant garden of Sir Lancelot Allgood's at Nunivick, where the foil, 

 flowers, and various plants, weie fwept away, and a great deal of 



other 



