334 Mr. P. Clare on some Thunder-storms 



Later in the evening a cow belonging to the Rev. Mr. 

 France of Davenham was killed in Bostock Park, about two 

 miles further south ; and soon afterwards a barn at Winsford, 

 about a mile and a half to the west of Bostock, was struck by 

 the lightning but not much damaged ; and a little later in the 

 evening a cow was killed at Minshull, a few miles south of 

 Winsford. 



The storm extended some distance further to the south and 

 west, visiting in its progress Holmes Chapel, Over, Nant- 

 wich, &c. 



The electrical state of the atmosphere during the progress 

 of these storms must have been very much disturbed, as ma- 

 nifested by the frequency and intensity of the electrical dis- 

 charges; whilst the torrents of rain that fell for some time 

 were probably caused by the currents of air in the higher part 

 of the atmosphere being much agitated, and moving in various 

 directions, thereby allowing them to mix freely, and large 

 clouds to be rapidly generated. 



With the limited knowledge we have of the operation of 

 those causes which produce thunder-storms, the following 

 view may not be undeserving a little consideration. 



If we suppose that the quantity or intensity of the electric 

 fluid connected or combined with each particle or atom of 

 water is not the same when the atom is in a liquid as it is when 

 in an aeriform state, but, like heat, abounds more when the 

 atoms are in a state of vapour than when they are in a liquid 

 state, and which view some experiments appear to support; 

 then, whenever a quantity of vapour is suddenly condensed in 

 the atmosphere, the water, whether in the state of a liquid 

 mass or in innumerable drops, would probably give out elec- 

 tricity, or under favourable circumstances become positively 

 electrified ; by this hypothesis we may account for most, if 

 not all, the phenomena that occur in thunder-storms. 



For if the currents of warm and cold air in the atmosphere 

 are in a very disturbed state, moving in opposite or various 

 directions, and both nearly saturated with vapour, and if 

 under such circumstances they become mixed, a portion of 

 the vapour in the warm air will be condensed and form clouds : 

 the clouds would be electrified with an intensity proportioned 

 to their density, magnitude, rapidity with which they were 

 formed, and the hygrometric state of the air between them 

 and the earth ; and if sufficiently electrified, would remain in 

 masses separated from each other : this appearance is often 

 observed in the vicinity of an electrified cloud, or previous to 

 a thunder-storm. And further, as clouds are generally of 

 different magnitudes and densities, the electrical power of 



