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thro’ barns with hay or ftraw in them, or ftore-houfes 
containing large quantities of hemp, or fuch like mat- 
ter, they feldom, if ever, efcape a conflagration. 
Which may, perhaps, be owing to fuch combuftibles 
being apt to kindle with lefs degree of heat than is 
neceffary to kindle wood. 
We had four houfes in this city, and a veflfel at one 
of the wharfs, ftruck, and damaged, by lightning 
laft fummer. One of the houfes was ftruck twice 
in the fame ftorm. But I have the pleafure to inform 
you, that your method of preventing fuch terrible 
difafters, has, by a facft, which had like to have ef- 
caped our knowledge, given a very convincing proof 
of its great utility, and is now in higher repute with 
us than ever. 
Hearing, a few days ago, that Mr. William Well, 
merchant in this city, fufpedled, that the lightning, in 
one of the thunder-ftorms laft fummer, had paffed 
through the iron conductor, which he had provided 
for the fecurity of his houfe, I waited on him, to en- 
quire what ground he might have for fuch fufpicion. 
Mr. Weft informed me, that his family and neigh- 
bours were all ftunned w r ith a very terrible explolion, 
and that the flafh and crack were feen and heard at 
the fame inftant. Whence he concluded, that the 
lightning muft have been very near ; and, as no houfe 
in the neighbourhood had fuffered by it, that it muft 
have paffed through his condu&or. Mr. White, his 
clerk, told me, that he was fitting at the time by a 
window, about two feet from the conductor, leaning 
againft the brick wall, with which it was in contadf; 
and that he felt a fmart fenfation, like an eledxic fhock, 
m that part of his body, which touched the wall. 
Mr. 
