t 309 3 
6. And from the whole it feems probable, that 
if even fuch a fmall wire had been extended from 
the fpindle of the vane to the earth, before the ftorm, 
no damage would have been done to the fteeple by 
that ftroke of lightning, though the wire itfelf had 
been deftroyed. 
Letter concerning the Effe&s of Light- 
ning at Darking in Surrey, from Mr. 
William Child to Mr. James Pitfold. 
Communicated by Mr. Peter Collinfon, 
F. R. S. 
E.ead Dec. 18, 
1755. 
A' 
I R, Darking, Sept. 30, 1755. 
FTER feveral difappointments of 
fending you the account I fo long 
ago promifed, you have here the beft particulars I 
can obtain. The day, on which the ftorm happened, 
was Monday the 1 6 th of July i/yo, about feven 
o’clock in the evening. During the preceding part of 
the day the air was of a very red fiery appearance, 
accompanied with frequent thunderings. About fix 
o’clock the wind arofe, and blew exceeding flrong, 
and in a very fhort time the hemifphere became 
uncommonly dark ; the flafhes of lightning were 
much fironger, and came in very fhort intervals of 
time, and the thunder-claps long and loud, attended 
with a very hard rain for near half an hour, in which 
time came the flrongeft flafh of lightning I ever faw, 
and inflantly with it the mofi: terrible burft of thun- 
der. 
