EFFECTS OP LIGHTNING, 319 



think any part of these remarks deserving of a place in your 

 valuable Journal, you will greatly oblige 



Your most obedient servant, 



JAMES HORSBURGH. 



P.S. It may be observed, that ships navigating in seas or places Dreadful con- 

 where lightning is frequent, should be careful to place no cargo sequences of 



. ° ° ^ ^ ° lightmng, con-. 



of an inflammatory nature near the masts ; for the electric matter ducted by 

 is frequently conducted by them into the hold. This happened ships' masts. 

 to the King George, in Canton River : and a few years ago, the 

 Royal Charlotte, with all her crew, were blown to atoms : this 

 happened at Diamond Harbour, in the river Hooghley, during 

 a night when much thunder and lightning prevailed. She had 

 a great quantity of gun-powder placed forward in the hold, 

 (said to have been stowed close forward around the mast), and 

 it was supposed that her foremast had been struck by lightning ; 

 which probably was conducted by the mast into the hold among 

 the gun-powder, and produced the dreadful explosion, which 

 was heard at a great distance, and the concussion felt several 

 miles. Very few fragments of the ship were visible next 

 morning. 



Enumeration of Ships struck by Lightnings 8fC. 



In June 1792, returning from China by the Mindora passage, The masts of 

 in the Anna, when we were in latitude 13° N°, and about gf^^oy^oj^f^. 

 2|° from the west coast of Luconia, a squall of wind from thejured by light- 

 south-west was experienced, followed by heavy rain, with much "'"^* 

 thunder and hghtning. At this time a loud explosion burst over 

 the ship, the lightning first embracing * the pole of the main- 

 top-gallant-mast, tore it and the mast into small fragments, in 

 its passage downwards : then embracing the head of the top-mast 

 in its descent, tore it into pieces. From the topmast, it con- 

 tinued its direction down the mainmast, on one side of the mast, 

 tearing away the hounds, and injuring the mast greatly, parti- 

 cularly where there was any iron-work. About eight feet above 

 the deck, the electric matter was attracted from the main- 



* I suppose the word " embracing " to denote the visible passage 

 of the lightning, as it surrounded the parts here and elsewhere 

 spoken of.— N, 



mast 



