Danger to Ships from Lightning. 449 



The Duke, British 90 gun ship, struck, 1793, off Martinico ; one of its masts 



shattered. 

 The Gibraltar, British-ship-of-the-line, struck, 1801, and much damaged immedi- 

 ately over the powder-room. 

 The Persius, British vessel, struck at Port- Jackson, in October 1802 ; the accident 



led to the loss of the vessel. 

 The Desire, British frigate, struck at Jamaica, in 1803 ; one of the masts much 



injured. 

 'The Theseus, British vessel, struck, at St. Domingo, 1804. 

 The Favourite, British corvette, struck, at Jamaica, June 1804 ; three sailors 



killed, nine wounded, main-mast much damaged. 

 The Desire, British frigate, struck, near Jamaica, 20th August 1804; many parts 



of the ship burned by the lightning. 

 The Glory, ship-of-the-line, in Admiral Calder's squadron, off Cape St. Finisterre ; 



the three masts were made useless. 

 The Repulse, British vessel, struck in the Bay of the Rosas, in 1809. 

 The Daedalus, British frigate, at Jamaica, in 1809 ; some of the crew struck down, 



the lightning fired the powder. 

 The Hebe, British frigate, at Jamaica, in 1809; one of the masts destroyed. 

 The (name unknown), British schooner, Jamaica, in 1809 ; sunk by the same 



thunder-bolt as the two last. 

 The Glory, British ship-of the-line, off Cape Finisterre, 1811 ; had all its masts 



cleft. 

 The Norge, British ship-of-war, and a merchant vessel, Jamaica, June 1813; the 



Norge was dismasted. 

 The Palma, British frigate, Harbour of Carthagena, S. A., in 1814; one of its 



masts destroyed. 

 The Medusa, British brig, in its voyage from Guayra to Liverpool. 

 The Amphion, American vessel, sailing from New York to Rio Janeiro, 21st Sep- 

 tember 1822 ; much damaged, all its compasses destroyed. 

 The Jessy, of London, abandoned in 45° N. L. and 16° W. L., in November 1833, 



from the injury by lightning. 

 The Carron, British steamer, in passage from Greece to Malta, struck in 1834. 



In running over such catalogues as these with attention, it is re- 

 markable, and such statements are truly striking, that in fifteen months 

 of the years 1829 and 1830, there were in the Mediterranean alone, five 

 ships of the British Royal Navy struck with lightning. These were the 

 Mosquito of 10 guns, the Madagascar of 50, and the Ocean, Melville, and 

 Gloucester ships-of-the line. All these vessels suffered considerably in 

 the rigging. I will add, for the benefit of those who imagine that the 

 damage arising from lightning is of small importance as a pecuniary 

 matter, that a large lower mast of a frigate costs about £200, and the 

 great lower mast of a ship-of-the-line costs as much as £400. 



To all these authentic examples of the effects of lightning it must 

 be added, that the British ship Resistance of 44 guns, and the Lynx, 

 completely disappeared during a severe thunder-storm, in a convoy of 

 which they formed a part ; that the ship York of 64 guns, which was 



