VOL. LXXVII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TKANSACTIONS. ' 189 



resumed the most perfect tranquillity ; but how this vast quantity of electric 

 matter could be discharged from the one element into the other without exhibit- 

 ing any appearance of fire, he pretends not to examine. The fact however 

 appears certain ; and when he was mentioning it as a singular one, a gentleman 

 told him, that the shepherd of St. Cuthbert's farm, on the opposite bank of 

 the Tweed, had been an eye-witness of the event, and gave a different account 

 of it. Mr. B. immediately went to the farm, found the shepherd, and made 

 him conduct him to the spot whence he had observed it, and desired him to give 

 an account of what had happened. He was looking, he said, at the two carts 

 going up the bank, when he was stunned by a loud report, and at the same 

 instant saw the first of the carts fall to the ground, and observed that the man 

 and horses lay still, as if dead. He said, he saw no lightning, nor appearance 

 of fire whatever ; but observed the dust to rise at the place ; that there had been 

 several flashes of lightning some time before from the south-east, whereas the 

 accident happened to the north-west of where he stood. The distance, in a 

 right line across the river, might be between 2 or 3 hundred yards. He was 

 sensible of no shock, nor uncommon sensation of any kind. 



Several other phenomena happened on that day, probably all proceeding from 

 the same cause ; some of which Mr. B. mentions. The shepherd belonging to 

 the farm of Lennel-hill was in a neighbouring field, tending his flock, when he 

 observed a lamb drop down ; and said, he felt at the same time as if fire had 

 passed over his face though the lightning and claps of thunder were then at a 

 great distance from him. He ran up immediately, but found the lamb quite 

 dead ; nor did he perceive the least convulsive motion, nor symptom of life 

 remaining, though the moment before it appeared to be in perfect health. He 

 bled it with his knife, and the blood flowed freely. This happened about a 

 quarter of an hour before the explosion which killed Lauder ; and it was not 

 above 300 yards distant from the spot. He was only a few yards from the lamb 

 when it fell down. The earth was not torn up, nor did he observe any dust rise. 



Thomas Foster, a celebrated fisher in Coldstream, and another man, were 

 standing in the middle of the Tweed, fishing for salmon with the rod, when 

 they suddenly heard a loud noise ; and, turning round to see from whence it 

 came, they found themselves caught in a violent whirlwind, which felt sultry 

 and hot, and almost prevented them from breathing. It was not without much 

 difficulty they could reach the bank, where they sat down, exhausted with 

 fatigue, and greatly alarmed : however it lasted but a very short time, and was 

 succeeded by a perfect calm. This happened about an hour before the explosion. 



A woman, making hay near the banks of the river, fell suddenly to the 

 ground, and called out to her companions, that she had received a violent blow 

 on the foot, and could not imagine from whence it came. Mr. Bell, our 



