VOL. LXIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TKANSAC XIDNS. 439 



of fire vibrate forward and backward in the air over some part of Steeple Ashton, 

 and at last dart down perpendicularly, which in all probability was the ball of fire 

 that Mr. Wainhouse and Mr. Pitcairn saw in the north parlour of the vicarage 

 house. Another circumstance is as follows: after the explosion of the ball of fire 

 in the north parlour, Mr. Pitcairn observed a great quantity of fire of different 

 colours vibrating in the room forwards and backwards with a most extraordinary 

 swift motion. 



To the Rev. Mr. Eliot, fiom Mr. IVilliam Paradise. 

 During the storm a person in this place (Holt) saw a body of fire moving to- 

 wards a house that is next to mine, though at some distance from it; attracted 

 probably by a large iron bar of 1 or \1 feet long, fixed horizontally to support 

 a high chimney. This body of fire changed its direction, and fell on my house, 

 forced a brick out of the chimney, near that part of it to which the iron bar 

 was fastened, and went through the house to an outer door on the opposite side, 

 which happened to be open; there it burst with a loud noise, like the firing of 

 cannons, and filled the room where I was with smoke and the smell of sulphur. 

 I was fortunately 3 or 4 feet out of the line in which it moved. I was however 

 struck against the wall near which I stood; my body was covered with fire, and 

 I thought for some time I should have been suffocated with smoke, and the 

 smell of sulphur. a 



XXX. On a singular Sparry Incrustation found in Somersetshire. By Edw. 



King, Esq., F.R.S. p. 241, 

 In the parish of High Littleton, Somerset, midway between Bristol and Wells, 

 are several coal-mines; and about the end of 1766, a new shaft, or pit, was 

 opened, for conveying air into an adjoining work; but when this shaft was 

 finished, the water that flowed in from the sides, and which at first was taken 

 up by buckets, greatly incommoded the under-works; and therefore the miners 

 at about the depth of 10 fathoms, and just below the place where the water 

 broke in, affixed to the 4 sides of the pit some wooden shoots, about 4 or 5 

 inches wide, and as many deep; all of them a little in'clined towards one corner, 

 where was a hollow perpendicular pipe or trunk of elm, nearly a long square, 

 being about 7-^ inches one way, and 4^ inches the other; and through this the 

 water, that fell into the lateral shoots, was conveyed down to the level, or pas- 

 sage out; which being about 7 fathoms lower than the shoots, the hollow per- 

 pendicular trunk was about 14 yards in length. This trunk having been thus 

 fixed up, in the latter end of 1766, was in about 3 years, or rather less, found 

 to be much stopped up; so that, in August 1769, the miners were obliged to 

 take it up; and then, on taking it to pieces, they found the whole cavity, from 

 one end to the other, nearly filled with a sort of sparry incrustation, somewhat 



