VOL. XLIX.3 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 5/5 



A centinel in the Great Perspective*, not far from Mr. Richman's house, 

 which stands at the corner of the said Perspective, was thrown some paces from 

 his centry-box, but without receiving any injury. It is not therefore to be 

 doubted but that this very thunder-cloud, or its electrical discharge, must have 

 struck, the iron bars, which were on Mr. Richman's house-top ; by which a great 

 part of the electric force was conducted, by means of the chains, to his electrical 

 expositor; and thus it could not fail of having the melancholy effect, the parallel 

 of which has not been known. According to the account of the engraver 

 Sokolow, Mr. Richman inclined his head towards the expositor, to observe what 

 degree of force it would have; and while he stood in that bent posture, a great 

 white and bluish fire appeared between the electrical expositor and Mr. Rich- 

 man's head. At the same time arose a sort of stream, or vapour, which entirely 

 numbed the engraver, and made him sink down on the ground ; so that he can- 

 not remember to have heard the loud thunder-clap. The iron ruler belonging to 

 the expositor, which hung perpendicular, as it received all the force from the 

 bars and chains, cast from it a thread, which was fixed to its top, and drove it up- 

 ward towards the expositor. That this ruler might point out the degrees of 

 strength, that for its more powerfiil operation, it stood with its lower end in a 

 glass vessel, filled with brass filings. This ruler hanging right, a globular flame 

 has been always produced, as well by artificial electricity as that of the clouds, 

 which may be denominated natural electricity. This being now stopped, by the 

 filings and glass vessel, from taking its direction aownwards, seems to have ex- 

 panded itself round about the ruler, and by those bodies, incapable of electricity, 

 to have been carried on towards Mr. Richman. And this is further confirmed, 

 because they afterwards found the vessel broken in pieces, and the filings scat- 

 tered about. The particulars, which happened to Mr. Richman, Mr. Sokolow 

 is ignorant of. As soon as he had recovered his senses, he got up, and ran out 

 •f the house, acquainting every one whom he met in the street, that the thun- 

 der had struck into Mr. Richman's house. On the other side, as soon as Mrs. 

 Richman heard the very loud stroke of thunder, she came hastening into the 

 chamber, in which she conjectured she should see the bad consequences. She 

 found her husband past sensation, sitting upon a chest, which happened to be 

 placed behind him, and leaning against the wall ; which situation must have been 

 occasioned by his falling back on receiving the electrical blow. He was no 

 sooner struck than killed. There was not the least appearance of life. A sul- 

 phureous smell, not unlike that which is caused by the explosion of gun-powder,, 

 diffused itself through the whole house. Some servants, who were hard by in the 

 kitchen, felt its effects, being quite stupified. The electrical expositor stood on 



* Probably a street so called. 



