and on the Effects of Lightning on certain Ships. 415 



48. Exceptions, however, have been taken by Mr. Sturgeon 

 to the phsenomena described by the officers who either com- 

 manded or were in the ships. Thus Captain Turner, in de- 

 scribing the shock of lightning which fell on the Dryad fri- 

 gate on the coast of Africa, says, that " he saw the lightning 

 on the conductor on the fore-mast, and saw it during another 

 flash run down the mizen-mast; that all the men there heard 

 a loud whizzing noise." Captain Fitzroy and Lieut. Sullivan 

 also mention similar phaenomena. Now the exceptions taken 

 are these, viz. that no noise is ever produced by electricity 

 entering a conductor, and that we cannot produce a " run- 

 ning light" upon a conductor carrying an electrical charge. 



These exceptions, however, are rather captious objections 

 to forms of expression, than to the facts themselves ; it is easy 

 to show from experience that luminous appearances are often 

 attendant on discharges of both natural and artificial electri- 

 city. 



Thus in the case of the Hawk (No. 9.) the account states 

 that "the vessel was apparently enveloped in a flame of light- 

 ning ; " whilst in the case of the Beagle, Lieut. Sullivan 

 says, " on looking aloft the ship was apparently in a blaze of 

 fire." In the case of the Snake (No. 3.) the electric fluid is 

 said to have descended with an instantaneous explosion of a 

 vivid purple colour. 



When H.M. ship Norge was struck by lightning in 

 Port Royal harbour, the electric fluid was observed (to use 

 Admiral Rodd's expression) to " absolutely stream down a 

 conductor attached to the mast of H.M. ship Warrior," 

 close by. 



Such phenomena are besides remarkably close to the re- 

 sults of experiments : thus a heavy shock of electricity, passed 

 over a metallic wire in a partially exhausted receiver, will ex- 

 hibit a transiently passing light on its surface. 



49. The whizzing noise is quite in accordance with common 

 electrical effects. It invariably occurs when a good conductor 

 receives and disarms an explosion by a pointed extremity. 

 Mr. Sturgeon, however, asserts that " no such noise is ever 

 produced by i\\e Jluid entering a metallic conductor," This 

 is mere sophistry ; let any one attempt to discharge a highly 

 charged battery by an acutely pointed conductor. A great 

 part of the charge will immediately rush through or towards 

 the point with a whizzing noise. Now the stratum of cloud 

 may be either positively or negatively electrified, and whether 

 the one or the other, it is clear that the rush of electricity from 

 a charged surface toward a point, or from a point towards an 



