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The illes in the South-Sea are, as far as we know, fubjed to light- 



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ning and thunder flormsj for we experienced fome at different 



4 



places and feafons, in the feveral parts of our voyage over this ocean-^ 



dthen obliged to fix the ele(fl;ric chain, to prevent 



FIERY 

 METEORS 



and 



w 



fatal accidents » 

 the main top-gal 

 another man was 



Once at O-Taheitee, the. man who was fent up 



mafl head, had fcarcely fixed the ch 



and 



il 



g 



of the main-chains and fliroud 



hen the latter received 



d:ric fliock 



d the fire was feen 



V 



running 

 damapfc. 



down th 



ch 



m into 



water, without, doing any 



Secondly y on Auguil the 17th, 1772, after v/e had left St. Jago, at 



/ 



eighto'CIock in the evening, we obferved a fiery meteor, of an oblong 

 iliape, a bi-ight but blueifli light, and defcending towards the North 

 Weft, and then moving in an oblique direcflion towards the horizon : 

 its duration was- momentaneous. We had about that time, fre- 

 quent fhovi^ers of rain, attended with fudden and violent gufls of 

 wind, both before and after its appearance. 



On the 30th of September, 1774, at half an hour after {even o'clock 

 in the evening, after we had left the South Eaft point of Caledon 

 and Pine Ifland, all thofe that were on the deck obferved to the North 

 ward, a luminous globe, of the fize and brightnefs of the fun mov 



V. 





g downwards with great velocity 



Its light 



pale, and itburfb without any explofion whatfoever; for all th 



noife,: 



"v. 



-1 



