VOL. LV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 255 



from the northward, the wall of the college fronting the south remained per- 

 fectly dry. About half past 4 came a terrible flash of lightning, attended at the 

 same instant by a violent clap of thunder. The lightning was of a remarkably 

 red colour, and at the instant of the flash, every body, for a considerable distance 

 round the spot where the damage was done, felt and complained of an intense 

 heat; several people were either forcibly beaten down, or fell through fear and 

 surprise. Some thought themselves in the middle of fire. The lightning en- 

 tered into the south side of Pembroke college in 4 different places at the same 

 instant. A chimney which fronted the s. was beaten down, and looked exactly 

 as if it had been cut off in the shaft, about 12 feet from the top. In the garret 

 to which the chimney l)elonged, there is a lath-and-plaster wall running on each 

 side of the fire-place, for the convenience of the room, supporting a kind of 

 dormer roof. At the end of this wall was a strong oak post, which was full of 

 nails. This post, roof, &c. was thrown into the room, to a considerable dis- 

 tance, and shattered to pieces; and the window fronting the quadrangle to the n. 

 was blown outwards. It was at first apprehended that this was the only part of 

 the college which was struck, and that the mischief done in the other rooms was 

 only the effects of the same ball, conducted from this garret to the other parts. 

 But this is very doubtful: for had that been the case, it should seem that the 

 direction of the electrical matter must have been altered, whereas in every room 

 its course was from s. w. to n. e. The lightning entered a room below at a win- 

 dow on the w. side of the fire-place; the casement (an iron one) was open, and 

 was little or not at all damaged. The window-curtain, with the frame it hung 

 upon, was thrown at least 20 feet to the opposite corner of the room , the win- 

 dow-seat, and all the wainscot about it, were shattered to pieces, and carried 

 away in the same direction with the curtain. The door of the bedchamber, near 

 the window, was extremely scorched, and at the distance of a few feet was a 

 beaufet which was likewise much scorched, and the brass escutcheons were all 

 forced off. There was in this beaufet some valuable china, and a quantity of 

 glasses, which suffered much. Some of the china had Mr. Collins's arms fixed 

 on it, and was gilt round the edges; two cups of this kind had each two little 

 triangular notches cut in their rims, the gilding in those parts being defective. 

 A number of china plates, glasses, &c. were broken. On the lowest shelf was 

 a quart drinking glass, which had long stood there, inverted. It was probably in 

 some degree fastened to the shelf by the paint. This glass was almost reduced 

 to dust, a great deal of which was found on the uppermost shelf of all. This 

 was probably owing to the sudden expansion of the air within ; and to the same 

 cause it must be attributed, that the tops of the canisters were taken off. The 

 tea-spoons were found discoloured and black; but Mr. Collins recollected, that a 

 small drop of mercury from a broken barometer was left in the beaufet, which 



