VOL. LXXVII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 18/ 



by his companion, who soon returned to the place ; and described to him how 

 every thing had passed. 



They were both servants to Mr. Turnbull, a tenant of the Earl of Home ; and 

 were returning home with 2 carts loaded with coals. James Lauder had the charge 

 of the first cart, and was sitting on the fore-part of it. They had crossed the Tweed 

 a few minutes before, at a deep ford, and had almost gained the highest part of an 

 ascent above 65 or 70 feet above the bed of the river. At that instant he was 

 stunned bv a loud report, and saw his companion, his horses and cart, fall to the 

 ground. He immediately ran to his assistance, but found him quite dead. His 

 face, he said, was of a livid colour, his clothes were torn to pieces, and he had 

 a strong smell of burning. He immediately emptied his own cart, and carried 

 home Lauder's body to his friends ; so that I had not an opportunity of examin- 

 ing it : but Mr. Bell, minister of Coldstream, a gentleman of the most perfect 

 candour and veracity, said, that he had been sent for, to aimounce the fatal 

 event to the young man's parents, and had examined the body ; that he found 

 the skin of the right thigh much burnt and shrivelled, and many marks of the 

 same kind over the whole body ; but none on the legs, which he imputed to 

 their hanging over the fore -part of the cart at the time of the explosion, and 

 not being in contact with any part of it. His clothes, and particularly his shirt, 

 was very much torn, and emitted a strong smell of burning. The body was 

 buried 2 days after, without having discovered any symptoms of putrefaction. 



Lauder's companion showed the distance between the 2 carts, which was 

 exactly marked ; for his horses had turned round at the time of the explosion, 

 and broke their harness ; it was about 24 yards, and Lauder's cart was a few 

 feet higher on the bank, but had not yet reached the summit. Mr. B. now 

 examined the cart, and the spot around it. The horses were black, and of a 

 strong make ; they had fallen on the left side, and their legs had made a deep 

 impression in the dust, which, on lifting them up, showed the exact form of 

 each leg ; so that no kind of struggle or convulsive motion had succeeded the 

 fall, but every principle of life seems to have been extinguished in an instant. 

 The hair was much singed over the greatest part of their bodies ; but was most 

 perceptible on the belly and legs. Their eyes were already become dull and 

 opaque, and looked like the eyes of an animal which had been long dead. The 

 joints were all supple ; and he could not perceive that any of the bones were 

 either softened or dissolved, as it has been alledged sometimes happens to ani- 

 mals killed by lightning. The left shaft of the cart was broken ; and the splin- 

 ters had been thrown off in many places, particularly where the timber of the 

 cart was connected by nails, or cramps of iron. Many pieces of the coal were 

 likewise thrown out to a considerable distance, all round the cart ; and some of 

 them had the appearance of coal which had lain some time on a fire. He also 



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