VOL. LXIV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 515 



tisfaction of my friend Mr. Henley. I put up a longer top-gallant mast the day 

 I arrived at Quebec. The conductor by this means became too short; and my 

 mate still let it hang, without making any addition to it. There was a severe 

 thunder storm that night; but think how pleased I vvas to find that, from the 

 wetness of the ship's sides, the electricity passed into the water, without the least 

 injury to the ship; but the spark on the point of the conductor, which was very 

 sharp, was so lucid, that my people were very much frightened.' 



Since receiving this account of Mr. Nairne's observation, I have been favoured, 

 says Mr. H., with the following remark, by my ingenious and worthy friend, 

 Lieut. Fairlamb, of the artillery ; who informs me, that the church of St. Mi- 

 chael, in Charlestown, South Carolina, used to be struck and damaged by 

 lightning, in every 2 or 3 years from its first erection; but in 14 years, that it 

 has been furnished with a pointed conductor, it has never been struck at all. It 

 appears also, that when a stroke of lightning fell on a stable belonging to Wm. 

 Lyttleton, Esq., Governor of South Carolina, and split and threw down 2 of the 

 rafters ; yet the dwelling-house, at 20 yards distance, being provided with a con- 

 ductor, terminated by a sharp point, escaped unhurt. I would here also just 

 remark, that nothing can be more sharply pointed than the weather-fane which 

 terminates the conductor, erected by Mr. Edward Nairne, on one of the pin- 

 nacles on the tower of St. Michael's church in Cornhill, which consists of two 

 darts, with a star, having many pointed radii between them ; yet in the late 

 thunder-storm, it does not appear that the lightning struck this building; but 

 fell on the key at the top of the spire of St. Peter's church, which is considerably 

 lower than the fane of St. Michael's; and the distance of the two churches is 

 not more than 200 feet. This key is terminated by a thick blunted end: the 

 spire is covered with lead, from the key to the brick tower; and so far the 

 lightning was conducted with safety to the building: nor could I observe, that 

 there had been the least fusion on the metal; but having quitted the lead work, 

 and entered the brick tower, it there did considerable damage, till it reached the 

 leaded roof on the body of the church ; whence it seems to have been conducted 

 by the pipes which carry down the rain water, and reach to the bottom of the 

 building, without further damage. Almost at the same instant that this spire 

 was struck, the lightning fell also on a Dutch ship, in the river Thames, lying 

 off the Tower, which had an iron spindle, terminated by a thick blunted end, 

 at her mast-head, and did her much damage. The lightning struck also on the 

 pillar commonly called the obelisk, in the cross road in St. George's fields, 

 Southwark. It likewise struck the chimney of the new Bridewell there, which it 

 threw down to the ridge of that building, which was covered with lead; and 

 then dispersed itself with little damage. The lightning fell also on another 

 chimney at Lambeth ; and on a house at the physic-garden near Vauxhall ; and, 



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