0797") 
A fimilar account, with fome trifling 
variations, was inferted in one of the 
morning papers the fame day on: which 
J received the above, dated 
‘ Petworth, Suffex, March 2 8,.1794. 
« THE following extraordinary inci- 
dent, if not caufed by the blowing up 
of fome powder-magazine, may excite 
the attention of thofe verfed in natural 
philofophy : 
“While the — foldiers quartered at 
Petworth were this day at: exercile, in 
Lord Egremont’s park, a violené explo- 
fion was heard fimilar to the report of 
one of the largeft pieces of ordnance. 
It came in a horizontal direétion from 
the North; but, inftead of ceafing in- 
fantly, it continued with a _ hollow 
vibrating found, like thunder ; and, in a 
progrefiive courfe, till it approached the 
zenith, rather inclined towards the ESE, 
its continuation was, as nearly as could- 
be fuppofed, one minute and a hialir, 
although many perfons thought it longer. 
This happened about 25 min. A.M. the 
atmofphere being ferene and unclouded, 
and the fun uncommonly powerful for 
the time of year. Farenheit’s ther- 
imometer, in the fhade, ftood at 58 de- 
grees; and the wind, though almoft 
calm, was NNE, with a point to the 
North. , 
Some people at work in a gentleman’s 
arden, at + Pitt’s-hill, faid they faw a 
white fmoky cloud move very fwiftly, 
till it came almoft overtheir heads, where 
it was ftationary for a {mall fpace of 
time, and then fuddenly  difappeared. 
They defcribed it as being about the 
fize of a tea-table, and fay, they are fure 
the thunder came from it.” 
Should any of your  philofophical 
readers be induced to explain the caule 
of fo extraordinary a phanomenon, 
through the channel of your Magazine, 
1 doubt not but that it will afford plea- 
fure to many, as well as to your's, fe 
— EE 
May, 4797- 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, ‘ 
ee your Magazine for Oétcber, p. 686, 
are fome Chronological _ Remarks, 
which I had hoped and expected would 
have been remarked upon in the’ courile 
of the’ month, and have been prefented 
to the public in the following, by fome 
perfon better qualified than mytelf to 

+ The feat of William Mitford, efg. near 
Petworth, j 
Meteorological Phenomenon The Antediluvian Year. | 343 
undertake fuch a tafk; but, having been 
difappointed in'that expectation, | have 
preftumed to offer my remarks, in as 
much as a truth of a very momentous 
nature is involved, in which, not only 
mere chronelogy and hiftory are con- 
cerned, but the eternal interefts of reli- 
gion. Ihe author of thofe remarks 
afferts, ‘ 7 is apparent thai tbe lives of the 
patriarchs are efiimated by the more ancient 
years, the lunar years of the Egyptians ; 
fince, upon this fuppofition, their length of 
life agrees with the experience of Agés, as 
to the ufual and probable duration of buman 
life, in the regions which they inbabited. 
But, in the account of the deluge, the year. 
of twelve months, ibe more modern year, has 
been made ufe of far computation.” The 
firft remark I would make upon this 
theory,is, the vaft difference 1t muf{ make 
upon the general chronology of the 
-world, as found in the margins of my 
bible, which is the only document of 
antiquity that I can refer'to; and I have 
not heard of any other fo ancient, or, 
perhaps, fo authentic ;—I fay perbups, be- 
caufe fo many difputes have arifen, and 
efpecially of late, about its authenticity, 
that ic becomes dangerous, or, at leaft, 
very prefumptuous, to affert it pofitively, 
without incurring the imputations of 
ignorance or fuperftition. In that book, 
I find that the calculation in the margin 
makes the creation 1655 years before the 
flood; but, upon the lunar calculation, 
that number muft be divided by 13, 
which will reduce it to 127-4, which can 
{carcely admit of the many generations 
recorded before that event; or, of the 
Many inventions mentioned, by fome of 
the later defcendants or the firft Man— 
fuch as the mufical inftruments, handled, 
we will fuppofe, fkilfully, by a defcend- 
ant of the feventh generation after Adam, 
as well as the fkilful artjcers in brafs and 
iron. Much more might be faid on this 
head, to fhow its improbability, if not its 
abfurdity. The fecond argument is more 
forcible, if poilible, to refute that theory, 
than the former. Itis faid, that Adam 
begat his third fon, Seth, when he was 
130 years old; which, calculating by 
that rule, was when he was ten years old, 
according to our mode of computing 
time; nay, if would appear, that feveral 
of the Antediluvian patriarchs begat 
fons earlier than that; for it is writtel, 
that. Enos, the fon of | Seth,’ “begat 
Cainan when he was go, viz. before he 
was 7 years old; and he, Cainan, mature 
ftill earlier, begat his fon Mahalaleel, 
when he was 70, 1. e. before he was 5 
years old. Mahalaleel, and his grand- 
Yy2 for 
! 
