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III. Account of the violent Storm of Lightning at Eaft-bourn, 
in Suflex, Sept. 17, 1780; communicated by Owen Salufbury 
B rereton, JS fq. F . R . and A . S. 
Read December 14, 1780. 
S I R> 
I AM defired by my friend and neighbour james adair, Efq* 
of Soho Square, to communicate to you an account of the 
dreadful accident which happened to him and his family atEaft- 
bourn, in the county of Suflex, at nine </ clock in the morning, 
on Sunday the feventeenth of September laft. He rented a 
houfe which flood by itfelf, built of various forts of ftone, 
three ftories high, and facing the fea, which was nearly South- 
eaft of it. The morning was very ftormy, with rain, thunder* 
and lightning ; and juft at nine o’clock a horrid black cloud ap- 
peared, out of which Mr. adair faw feveral balls of fire drop 
into the fea fucceflively, as he was approaching the window in 
a one-pair of flairs room ; and very foon after, as he was ftand- 
ing at it with his hands clafped, and extended open againft the 
middle of the frame, a moft violent flafh of fire forced his hands 
afunder, and threw him feveral yards upon the floor on his 
back, with both his legs upright in the air, which remained 
long fo fixed. He was very fenfible of his fituation all the time, 
but could not open his eyes or fpeak ; nor had he the leaft 
power of motion of any of his limbs for a long time, O11 
3 help 
