VOL. LXIII.J PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 437 



resembling that of sulphur, vitriol, and other minerals in fusion; insomuch that 

 Mr. Pitcairn thought himself in danger of suftbcation. Mr. Wainhouse provi- 

 dentially received no hurt, except a slight scratch in his face from the broken glass 

 that was flying about the room, a kind of stupefaction for some time, and a con- 

 tinued noise in his ears, which noise, the effect of the explosion, happened like- 

 wise to Mr. Pitcairn, and others in the house. 



The lightning fell on Mr. Pitcairu's right shoulder, made a hole in his coat, 

 about a quarter of an inch in diameter, went under his arm in one line to his 

 breast, thence descended down the lower parts of his body in two irregular lines, 

 about half an inch broad, attracted probably by his watch, the glass of which it 

 shivered in small pieces, and meeting perhaps with a little resistance from it, 

 spread itself round his body, and produced the sensation of a cord, tied close 

 about his waist. A violent pain in his loins immediately followed; and thence to 

 his extremities there seemed to be a total stoppage of circulation, all sensation 

 being lost, and his legs and feet resembling in colour and appearance those of a 

 person actually dead. Besides shivering the glass of his watch, the lightning 

 melted a little of the silver of it, and a small part also of half a crown in his 

 pocket. When it came to the middle of his thigh, it left an impression of a 

 blackish colour, resembling the branch of a tree, which in a few days disappeared; 

 but the lines on his body are still visible, and are of a dark blue, intermixed 

 • irregularly with a deep yellow. From the middle of his thigh the lightning 

 changed its direction again, and went down the under side of it to the calf of 

 his leg, and so to his shoe, which was split into several pieces in so remarkable 

 a manner, as justly to claim the inspection of the curious. As soon as Mr. 

 Pitcairn was struck, he sunk in his chair, but was not stunned; his face was 

 blackened, and the features of it distorted. His body was burned in several 

 places, small holes were made in different parts of his clothes, and he lost in 

 some measure the use of his legs for 2 or 3 days; but by proper care he soon 

 recovered, except a weakness and numbness in his right leg, which still remains. 

 What is remarkable, Mr. Pitcairn remembers very well to have seen the ball of 

 fire in the room for a short time, a second or two, after he found himself struck 

 with the lightning. Extraordinary as this circumstance may appear, it may be 

 proper to take notice, that it is entirely agreeable to an observation of the 

 learned and ingenious Dr. Franklin, quoted below.* 



The effects of the lightning on the building and furniture were as follow. 

 The north chimney was thrown down, the roof and ceiling near it beat in ; large 



* In every stroke of lightning, I am of opinion that the stream of the electric fluid, &c. will go 

 considerably out of a direct course for the sake of the assistance of good conductors; and that in this 

 course it is actually moving, though silently and imperceptibly, before the explosion, in and among 

 the conductors, &c. Franklin's Experiments and Observations on Electricity, edit. 4, p. 12-i. — Orig. 



