The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-23 00:00:00

Thunderstorms,

The thunderstorai of Friday, which appears& to have
been pretty general all over the country, visited the ceasta,
o: Northumberland and Durham with unprecedented -vio—
lence, and during several hours of the busiest portion of the
day caused considerable alarm in the principal towns of the
district. It broke over Bernick a little after midnight, and
continued with brief intervals until 3 o'clock in the after—
noon. The storm burst over the towns on the Tyne later,
about 9 o'clock in !the forenoon, with vivid flashes of
lightning and rolling thunder, accompanied by a deluge
of rain ; the lightning doing a very considerable
amount of injury in that district between 9 and 10
o'clock, About the time mentioned a labourer, who had
been employed draining in a field at Prospect-hill, Beare•
North Shields, was making his way along the waggon way •
there to obtain shelter in the engine-house, when he was
struck by the lightning and killed upon the spot. There
were several persons near him at the time, but none of them
were hurt. The unfortunate deceased, whose name is
Oswald Gibson, had been struck above the right ea.r, the
lightning having passed down his left side and leg, wi,ich
were completely stripped. Ilis clothes were torn, and pieces
lof them were scattered about the spot where the deceased
• fell. About the same time that this accident occurred a
farm labourer named Foster, belonging to Fife-street,
Mount Pleasant, Gateshead, was employed rolling a field.
belonging to a small farmer named Elder, near to Wreck-

ington. He had loosed his horses when the storm came on,
and was returning to the village of Wreckington with his
horses yoked to a cart, about 10 o'clock in the forenoon,
when he was struck by lightning, and killed instantly. One
of the horses was also killed, and the other much injured.
Dense masses of black clouds continued to pass over North-
umberland and Durham until 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the
lightning at times being very vivid. Several houses were
injured in Newcastle and Shields by the lightning striking
them. Several persons had narrow escapes in these towns,
but none were seriously hurt. About 4 minutes before 1
o'clock, while a thunderstorm was passing over North
Shields, the time gun, with which a fusee had been con-
nected in anticipation of the time baing sent down L-ora
Greenwich at 1 o'clock, was fired by the lightning. A tele-
graph post on the highway side at ',Lowden was shattered te.
fragments, and at the same place the lightning struck otae
of the wires and travelled into the River Tyne Commission-
ers' office, smashing an iron box. At South Stockton thee
lightning lifted the roof of a house, and a widow woman.
named Walters, aged 75, was so shaken that she was not
expected to recover. So severe a thunderstorm has not been
experienced on the north-eastern coast during many years.
The rain which accompanied tho thunder and lightning have
had a wonderfully reviviag effect upon the crops,lwhich now
look remarkably fresh and green.
In the North Riding the extraordinary heat of the last
7 days culminated on Friday afternoon in one of the moot
terrific storms ever experienced. About noon dense masses
of black cumuli gathered in the south-west, and gradually
overspread the heavens until all was so dark that gas had
to be resorted to for some hours. About 3 o'clock, the storm
broke out, its greatest fury being spent on the north side of
the great vale of Pickering, taking the iines of the towns of
Helmsley, Kirby, Sinnington, Pickerington, &c. The
lightning and the thunder were s;multaneous, and several
persons speak to having seen ball lightning, and also to
having seen the forked lightning pass horizontally along.
the sky from one cumulus to another. The track of the
storm was to the north•east, and for some hours along the
course indicated the clouds poured down a very deluge.
The roads and fields were at once flooded, and the streams
from the various moor-vallies rose with unexampled ra-
pidity into raging torrents, carrying down trees and rocks
along with them. Kirkdale-bridge, a wooden structurel
fairly bent with the pressure against it, and a gentleman
had there a very narrow escape for his life. Between Gill-
amoor and Kirby, Mr. Jackson, a well-known cattle dealer,
was driving, and it is believed was disabled by the light-
ning. His horse ran away and upset the conveyance, Mr.
Jackson being powerless. He died in a few hours. In the
same locality several cheep were killed under a tree. Hail-
stones as largo as nuts fell for some time, and at Sproxton,
near Helmsley, and at Allerston, near Pickering, the de-
struction of glass is reported very great. On Saturday
morning the rivers Rye and Derwent, which the previous
afternoon were lower than for many years, were found to
have filled to the top with floodwater, and in places about
Kirby Mills, Marton, Sinnington, and Howe, the roads are
submerged. The hail and rain have done great damage to
crops. Fruit and even the leaves are cut off the trees, crops
are washed up, and gr ass lands are covered with mud in some
places. Early potatoes are cut down. The Wolds seemed to
attract the southern portion of the storm, but the rain that fell
there did not do any damage, but much good. Singularly
enough some parts of the Howardian range did not get a,
drop of rain, although the valleys on either side were being
deluged. On Saturday night the rivers were still rising•
but it was thought they would not overflow to any exteett.
It is stated in the Scotsman of Saturday that in Edin-
burgh rain began to fall heavily in the city, and continued.
almost without intermission up till an advanced hour in the
evening. Distant peals of thunder were heard at intervals
during the day, and occasional flashes of lightning were
seen—but the storm seems to have raged more furiously in.
the direction of Selkirk and Peebles. Our correspondent at
the former place writes :—" A thunderstorm of conside
able violence passed over this town yesterday. Distant
peals were heard during the forenoon, and about midday
there was a strange and sudden change in the wind, which
for a time blew in violent and fitful gusts from all points of
the compass. A heavy thunder-cloud approached from the
south, and about a dozen peals were heard as it passed over
the town. Rain, mixed with large hailstones, fell in tor-
rents during the height of the storm. The wind afterwards
settled in the west, and rain fell in moderate and refresh-
ing showers during the afternoon." From Peebles we learn
that that town was yesterday visited by a thunderstorm
more violent than any that has yet been experienced in the
district for many years back. It set in about 11 o'clock and
continued almost unceasingly for about two hours, and wall
heard at intervals during the after part of the day. The
heavy rain which fell flooded the streets. At Kelso, also,
the storm was experienced, thunder having been heard
during the greater part of the day, accompanied in the
afternoon by a copious fall of rain.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

YORK-- SAT U RDAY.

There was only a moderate supply of wheat at markat
to-day, with a limited attendance. Sellers held out for
late rates, but they were with difficulty made. Barley wag
scarce, with a slow business. Oats also scarce, and with
an inactive demand. Beans in fair demand, and racsut
rates fully made.
Wheat, red 37s to 39s Oats.... lBs to 353
White do .40s to 44s Beans 33.., to 3
Barley
Malt, 58s to 60s per qr. ; rye, 28s per qr.; flour, 278
to 29s per sack.

GRANTHAM—SATURDAY.
Old white: wheat,:42B to 44s ; red, 37s to 40s per 365 t.;
new white, 42s;to 44s ; red, 38s to 40s. Malting barley,
33s to 36s per qr ; grinding, 28s to 308; oats, old, 23a
265; new, 20s to24s; beans, 34s to 365; peas, 34s to 368.

LE ICE STRa—SATURDAY.
We have again to report another week of highly favour°
able weather. There was a fair show of wheat at market
to-day ; prices same as last week, with a limited business..
—New white wheat, 42s to 455; red, 38s to 41s per 3t'
stone. Old red, 38s to 42s per 36 stone. Barley, maltiDgt
new, 33s to 36s per qr.; grinding, 28s to 30s; old oats,
28s to 30s; new oats, 21s to 24s per 24 stone. . Beaus)
old, 40s to 42s per 38 stone ; flour, 26s to 31s per 20 atone.

NORWICH—SATURDAY.
There was a liberal supply of wheat to-day, and prices
were the same as on this day se'nnight. The demand
ruled dull. Beans, barley, peas, and oats wera at former
rates, with a slow trade,
White wheat. 42s to 445 1 Red wheat 38s to 40a
to 34a
Malting barley ...35s to 36s I Chevalier barley.. •33 •
Distilling d 0..... 29s to 30s Oats.
Flour, 25a Od to 26s Od per sack from the miller
24s to 26/

N OT T IN Gil AM -S ATTJILD
'! A somewhat limited show of wheat to-day, with a mode.
rate demand, and late prices were nearly supported. Tha
show of barley was exceedingly small, and little business
was transacted at about the rates of last week. Oats were
disposed of slowly. Beans active, at fully former prices.
—White wheat, from 37s to 40s; red wheat, 368 to 39e.
Barley—malting, 30s to 37s ; grinding, 27s to 295. OaU,
old, at 24s to 303 Od ; new, 19s to 255. Beans sold at 331
to 428:per qr. ; new, 35s to 375.

DUBLIN—FRIDAY.
all
The attendance to-day was thin. A. slow trade for
articles, and unaltered in price.
s. d. s. d.
Wheat, white.. 24 0 to 26 6
Do., red .. 21 6 to 24 0
Do., new 0 to 0
Barley
Oats
Do., black — 0 to-- 0

d
s. d. s• '
Oatmeal
Ber 10 otol3 0
Beans..--ens .•••• oto --- °
0
Rapeseed
Bakers' flour l4 0 to 0 0
Indian corn
_...

Births.
JONES.—On the 18th inst., at Cranmer Hall, Norfolk; 613
wile of Sir Willoughby Jones, Bart., of a son. .
PELLY.—On the 21st inst., at Gastons, the wife of Justinls
Peily, Esq., of a son.

Marriages.
e
nr elt
GEORGALA—IONIDES.—On the 21st inst., at the %---•
Church, London-wall, Spiridion Georgala, E:4l.lfriveo"f
pool. to Maria eldest daughter of E. C. lonides, -b"9"
51, Inverness-terrace.
S"'
WILLS—HARVARD.—Oa the 19th inst., at All ?
Langharu-plate, Cuthbert Wills, Esq., H.M. CustT
to Lmtitia Mary, only daughter of Edw inlHawaral I\l' 't
28, Harley-street, Cavendish-square,
Deaths.
BEACH—On the 19th inst., at Oakley Hall, Agnfts
line, intent daughter of W. W. Beach, Esq., M. „Ar
BENYON—On the 19th inst., at Stetchworth-park,
new
Newmarket, aged 64, deeply regretted by all Who k°
him, Samuel Yate Benyon, Esq. roilY
BISHOP—On the 20th inst., deeply regretted by his -30 y,
and friends, Mr. James Bishop, of LilyPot-13u8'
aged 65.
DOLLMAN—On the 20th inst., at Prestbury Cottage)
Che
tenham, John Dolltuan, Esq., aged 32.

!,ondon : Prinz ed and Prbltshed by WILL IA AI A NI)3
of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at Tux SUN Office No* „i
Strand. In the Precinct. of the Savoy, n Contil
Rid :e May 23, 18i*.