VOL. 



LI.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 393 



XXX. Extraordinary Effects of Lightning. Bij Mr. Wm. MountainCy 



F.R.S. p. 286. 



One remarkable circumstance in this account is, that the stroke of lightning 

 happened seemingly at the same moment as that mentioned in the foregoing 

 article, as appears by comparing the dates in the accounts, the one being said to 

 be about 8 o'clock, and the other about a quarter after 8, the same morning ; 

 though the one place was London, and the other in Hertfordshire. 



During the morning of July the l6th last, says Mr. M., was much thunder 

 ^nd lightning : about 8 o'clock was heard an extraordinary loud crack, which 

 seemed to be very near, as the large flash and sound were almost coincident. In 

 a few minutes there was an alarm, that a house was on fire in Goat street in 

 Southwark, Mr. M. readily suspected the cause, lightning, and soon after went 

 to the place to inquire into particulars, and was informed that 3 houses were da- 

 maged in that place. The first house was alftiost untiled on the west side, and 

 being of timber, was very much split and shattered : some of the weather-boards 

 were thrown outwards to the bottom of the garden, to the distance of about 30 

 feet from the house, and the windows were forced inwards. Several small pieces 

 of glass, in the leaded windows, were impelled with such force, as to stick very 

 fast in a door which was opposite, and in the hard plastered partition ; besides 

 some bits of melted window lead. 



The second house was actually set on fire, but soon extinguished. This house 

 having bell-wires through several rooms, they were melted as by hot fusion, and 

 dispersed in numerous bits all around; many particles being collected by magnets, 

 and otherwise. 



In a third house, many glasses and china ware were broken, and the bell- 

 wires in like manner destroyed. In some rooms however, considerable parts of 

 the wire remaining, they attempted to make these serve again, when repairing 

 the bell-wiring, but found them so brittle as to be quite useless. 



From these houses the lightning seems to have tended towards the n. e., for 

 in that direction, at the distance of about 200 yards, a person was struck, stand- 

 ing in his own entry, and rendered almost senseless and speechless for some 

 hours, and for several days was much aflfiiicted with a stupor, giddiness, and 

 vomiting, and retained a constant and strong taste of sulphur in his mouth and 

 throat. On the opposite side of the street, and somewhat oblique towards the 

 n.e. at the distance of about 20 yards, an.)ther person had about 6 dozen of 

 bottles of Port wine broken to pieces, which were in an arched vault, the bottles 

 laid on their side within a large circular tub or cooler, as a bin, bound with iron 

 hoops ; every bottle being broken as if by a mallet. 



Mr. M. declared he had been more particular in the examination of some of 



VOL. XI. 3 E 



