The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-20 00:00:00

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DEATH FROM MGHTAUNG.

Tuesday' last, Sept. IS, James Hennes, a servant in the I
employ of Mr. Body, of Oultam Quarter Farm, in the
parish of Hailshatn, being at plotigh, with a team of oxen,
in the field, was struck by a column of electric fluid, fall-
ing perpendicularly upon him, and the first part with which
it came in contact appeared to have been the inner side of
the right leg; and both the power and burning force of
this electric shock was so great, that his spatterdashes and
stockings were burnt into rags, and the skin was stripped
off the leg it entered his half-boot, which was not laced
close, and shattered it in pieces from his foot. How far
his watch-chain, which was of steel, produced a power
of re-attraction, is not known, hut by re-ascending it took
an oblique direction over his body, scorching the left side
of the chest and the face, stripping off the skin the same as
from the leg, and entered his hat, which was burnt and
torn into fragments ; on examining the divided por-
tions they were found to be remarkably stiffened, as if
strongly impregnated with lava. According to the best
account his master could give, who was but a very short
distance from him at the instant it happened, the duration
of the attack in point of time could not have exceeded three
seconds before he saw his man a lifeless corpse on the ground
and the above-mentioned portions of his dress on fire. This
tremendous storm continued its course, in slow array, in a
completely direct line over the town of Hailsharn, one
cloud in particular, which appeared as if heavily charged
*ith electric matter, and its elevation from the surface of
the earth, as well as could be calculated, could not be
higher than from four to five hundred yards ; a slight ex-
plosion took place a very short distance from the town, and
afterwards advancing slowly over the houses, the lower ,
skirts touched the vane of the church steeple, and it (lid
not advance hut a very short distance from thence before it
exploded with a most terrific sound, as if some thousands
of crackers were let off at the moment, but fortunately it
did no injury.
The most extraordinary instance of this kind upon re-
cord happened in the island of Java, in the East Indies,
August the 11th, 1772. A bright cloud was observed at
midnight, covering a mountain in the district called Cheri-
bon, and several reports like those of a gun were heard at
the same time. The people who dwelt upon the upper
parts otthe mountain not being able to flee fast enough, a
great part of the cloud, about eight or nine miles In cir-
rence cumfe detached itself under them, and was seen at a
• '
distance rising and falling like the waves of the sea, and'
emitting globes of fire so luminous that the night became
clear as day. The effects of it were astonishing; every'
thing was destroyed for twenty miles round ; the houses
were demolished, and plantations were buried in the earth,
and 2,140 people lost their lives, besides 1,500 head of
cattle, and a vast number of horses and °dui. anituali.—
Sidjidlk Paper.

Robert Weston, a groom, undertook yesterday, at
Lewisham, to run I S miles in an hour and thirty-five
mimes, for & Nveesi s He ran the first ten miles in
two minutes within an and won the match trishaw
great fstigooAt two WSW.; withiik the give i doe.