The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-21 00:00:00

Thunderstorms.

A heavy thunderstorm broke over London last night.
Between 7 and 8 o'clock dark clouds gathered on the northern
horizon, and bright sheet lightning was seen at intervals.
The clouds gradually overspread the sky, and at a quarter
to 11 vivid flashes of lightning were followed almost immo
diately by loud peals of thunder. At 11 o'clock the storm
was at its height, and the rain fell in torrents. About half
past 11 the lightning and thunder ceased for some time. A
second storm broke out at 12 o'clock, which, however, only
lasted a few minutes—it being apparently at a greater dis-
tance from London. The lightning affected the telegraphic
wires connected with the Houses of Parliament and Renter's
office. The bells attached to the wires rung violently at the
very moment when the most vivid flashes of lightning were
seen. At 1 o'clock the storm had ceased, and at 2 the moon
was shining in a cloudless sky.
Yesterday Liverpool, after five days of remarkably hot
weather, was visited by two severe thunderstorms. The
first commenced between 4 and 5 o'clock in the morning, and
continued about an hour. From the peculiar sound of the
thunder it appeared as if three or four storms were raging
at the same time at various distances. This storm was ac-
companied by a smart shower. The second storm com-
menced about 1 o'clock, and lasted for about an hour and
a half. It was immediately over the town. One church
spire is said to have been struck, but no damage done. No
serious accident has been heard of. After the second storm
the air was much cooler.

A thunderstorm passed over Birmingham between 4 and
5 o'clock yesterday afternoon. This was accompanied by a
shower of hail, the hailstones being larger than full•sized

peas.

A heavy thunderstorm burst over Manchester yesterday
at noon, accompanied by deluges of rain, and lasted several
hours. After a long period of dry, sunny weather such as
has prevailed in the neighbourhood, the rain was much
wanted, and will do good service to the agricultural and
horticultural interests.

How the Rothschilds have made Money.

(From the Diary of a Lady of Quality.)

I did not know, till-I
heard it from Alava, the
exact circumstances of the first arrival of the news
of the battle of Waterloo in London. It seems that
one morning a partner of the house of Rothschild
came to Lord Liverpool. informed him that he had
a few hours before received the glorious news, or at
least the bare outline; that, having made all the
advantage which this exclusive knowledge could
give him on the Stock Market, he now came to im-
part it to Government_ 1-T. ‘ennla not anaavar tiny
inquiries as to the means by which he had acquired
the intelligence, could not give any particulars, only
repeated the assurances of the truth of the informa-
tion. Lord Liverpool thought it cruel, on such
vague foundations, to raise hopes or fears. To one
of his colleagues—Vansittart, I think—who hap-
pened to come in, he told the circumstance, and
they agreed to conceal it from every other human
being till more was known. There was a Cabinet
dinner that day at Lord Harrowby's; not one word
was said respecting the news, and Lord Liverpool
was returning home full of anxiety. In the street his
carriage was stopped by an unknown, who, with
some apology, said that he was just come from
Downing-street; that a carriage with six horses
dressed with laurels, French eagles, and colours
hanging out of the windows, had arrived ; that the
glorious news was instantly spread ; and that the
messenger was gone to Lord Harrowby's in pursuit
of him through another street from that in which
he was met. This, I think, I heard at the time, but
certainly till now never heard the thing accounted
for. It seems that the Duke of Wellington, after
writing his despatch home, said to Pozzo di Borgo,
" Will you write to Louis XVIII. at Ghent? tell
him only that Napoleon is utterly defeated ; that in
less than a fortnight I shall be in possession of
Paris, and hope very soon to see him reinstated.
Say that excessive fatigue prevents me from writ-
ing." A messenger was of course immediately sent
off to Ghent. When he arrived, Louis and his little
court happened to be assembled at breakfast in a
room.whose windows down to the ground were wide
open. The embraces, the ejaculations, of course
instantly apprised those under the windows of the
arrival of good news. Among these was a spy
from the house of Rothschild, who had many days
been upon the watch. He no sooner heard the
❑ews than he rode post to Ostend ; there, happen-
ing to find a small vessel just sailing, he embarked
and got one tide before the English messenger, who
arrived shortly afterwards.

CROSSING THE LINE ; A ROUGH SHAVE,--When
my turn came, I was seized by the two fiendish-
looking functionaries before mentioned, who blindfolded
my c.v.., anti waiving mo by tbo dragged ma an
deck. Here I was saluted by buckets of water, which
were dashed over me on all sides, whilst the fire engine
played in my face with such cruel precision that I was
more than half drowned. Coughing and spluttering,
and gasping for breath, I was marched slowly across the
deck, forced to mount a ladder, and seated on a plank, with
Neptune on one side and the barber on the other, whilst the
doctor stood below with his lancet and box of nostrums ready
to administer to those who required his aid. The ceremony
began by Neptune asking me, through a speaking-trumpet
applied close to my ear, " How old I was," "Why I had come
to sea," " Whether I had previously crossed the line," &c.,
and each time I tried to answer having the great shaving-
brush, covered with lather, stuffed half way down my throat.
Declining to answer only made matters worse; for the
doctor was immediately called upon to restore my power
of speech. This he dexterously accomplished by dig-
ging his lancet into my foot, and completed the cure by
cramming one of his abominable boluses into my mouth.
My face was now copiously lathered and scraped, and my
legs being tilted up, I fell backwards into a sail filled
with water to the depth of three or four feet. Blind-
folded as I was, I fancied myself overboard, and struck
out for my life. But my miseries were not yet ended. I
was startled by a hoarse roar, and the two bears, who
had been lying in wait fa. their victim, seizing me in
their tarry paws, ducked my head under water, and
bundled me about till I verily thought I should be
drowned. At last I managed to tear the bandage from
my eyes, upset one of the bears, and, jumping on his
prostrate ',body, succeeded in making my escape. Be-
ing now one of the initiated, I was provided with a fire-
buaket, and allowed to amuse myself by ducking the un-
fortunates who succeeded me. All having undergone the
ordeal of shaving, bleeding, and physicking, and drowning,
another glass of ram was served out, Neptune drove off to
the sound of martial music, and the remainder of the day
was given up to dancing and sky-larking.—My Indian
Journal, by Colonel IF. Campbell.

This year, for the first time since Switzerland was
constituted into a political Confederation, the Helvetic
Budget showed a deficit. This unheard-of fact caused a
considerable sensation in the 22 cantons. The Federal
Council became disquieted, and extreme measures were
taken to get rid of what the fellow countrymen of William
Tell considered a scandal. The means resorted to ware very
simple, merely consisting of an increase in tolls on bridges
and on telegraps, but the honour of the country is considered
safe, as the year will pass without a deficit.