The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-24 00:00:00

The Great Storm at Preston,

We intimated yesterday that a great storm of
thunder, rain, &c., had taken place at Preston on
the previous day. It seems that the lightning struck
several buildings in the town. In Bushell-place a

house was set on fire and the water-engines had to
be sent for to extinguish the flames. The roof of a
cotton factory on the eastern side of the town was
smashed, and some of the ruins fell upon the
machinery below. In many of the mills the opera-
tives were so alarmed that they durst not work.
The refreshment-room at Deepdale-road railway
station was struck by the lightning, but not much
damaged. A grocer's shop adjoining was also hit. The
coachbuilding establishment of Mr. Dallas, Lancas-
ter-road, was slightly damaged by the lightning. At
one of the villages near Preston a man was killed by
lightning ; and at another a cow was struck dead
in a field. The greatest amount of damage sus-
tained in Preston appears to have been caused by
the extraordinarily heavy rain and hail which fell on
Monday afternoon. One tradesnian in Friar-gate
had £lOO worth of goods (stored in his cellar) de-
stroyed by the water which flowed from the street.
Another person had £5O worth destroyed in a
similar way. The furniture in some of the houses
in the lower portion of one of the streets in the
centre of the town was floating about, and a few of
them were so completely inundated that the inmates
were glad to make their escape and get shelter else-
where. A portion of the embankment of the Preston
and Longridge railway, near the Preston workhouse,
was washed down, and towards Maudlands station
the line was blocked up with sand, old railway
sleepers, &c. The generality of the houses in Preston
were injured more or less through the rain. A good
deal of glass was broken in both Preston and the
country districts about by the rain which fell. In
some places hailstones fully an inch in diameter
were picked up. Plenty as large as marbles could
be found in the streets. They were very hard, fnd
more like icicles than ordinary hailstones. On
Monday evening, after the storm, the weather
cleared up, and was very fine. At noon yesterday
several loud peals of thunder were heard.

CARDINAL WISEMAN'S MEMORIAL.—His Grace
the Archbishop-Elect of Westminster, Dr. Manning,
will take the chair at a pUblic meeting at Hanover-square
Rooms, on Thursday next, May 25th (Ascension Day), at
half-past two punctually. The object of the meeting is to
inaugurate a public movement for the erection of a
Cathedral as a memorial of his Eminence the late Cardinal
Archbishop.
ASSAULT OF ARMS—ST. JAMES'S HALL.—The
soldiers children, supported by the Royal Caledonian
Asylum, will be present with their band at the grand as-
sault of arms which will take place in the presence and
under the patronage of his "loyal Highness the Prince of
Wales, in aid of the funds of the asylum.

ARCHITECTURAL EXHIBITION.--Last evening Mr.
Beresford-Hope, President of the Royal Institute of
British Architects, delivered a most interesting lecture,
entitled " Incidents of old English architecture, civil and
ecclesiastic, especially in rural districts," before a numerous
audience. Commencing with a description of the various
styles, materials, &c., which had prevailed, he explained
the causes which produced these varieties, and remarked
that each rural district possessed distinctive features pecu-
liar to itself, and cited various examples in the Mediaeval,
Tudor, and the style of the period of Queen Anne, as also
of the numerous half-timbered houses spread over various
parts of the country, drawing conclusions in favour of the
first-named on account of its greater picturesqueness,
variety of outline, and light and shade, and its greater fit-
ness. The lecture was listened to with great interest and
warmly applauded. Mr. Digby Wyatt proposed a vote of
thanks, which was carried by acclamation.

CHINESE FUNERAL'.---A cart, containing the mor-
tal remains of a Chinaman enclosed in a very hand-
some coffin, passed through Talbot on Thursday, preceded
by a European undertaker and a Chinaman, who scattered
small slips of perforated paper along the road at every few
yards. About 40 Chinamen followed. On arriving at the
cemetery where the grave had been prepared a little delay was
caused, as the friends of the deceased considered it necessary
that his body should lie so as to face the west, and the ex-
cavation had to be altered accordingly. After the coffin had
been lowered Mr. Gore read the funeral service according to
the form of the Protestant Church, deceased having bee a con-
verted to Christianity. The grave having been filled in,
deceased's friends broke food and scattered it on the ground
and also spilt liquor. A live cock was brought to the
ground by the mourners, and it was no doubt sacrificed at
some ceremony on their return to the Chinese camp, where
a great feast had been prepared during the day. One of
the most noticeable features was a huge porker roasted
whole, the method being peculiar to the Chinese, who for
this purpose build a high circular oven of stones and clay
open at the top, in which, after it has been heated, the pig
is suspended. The aperture is then closely covered, and in
the course of time the pig is done.to a turn. No ceremony
is considered complete by Chinamen without pork and
crackers.—Ararat (Australia) Advertiser.

A NEW SYNAGOGUE.—A new Jewish synagogue
in Southampton was consecrated on Monday by Dr.
Adler, the Chief Rabbi. The musical portion of the service
was conducted by a London Jewish choir. The ceremony
commenced by the Rabbi, with the officials of the syna-
gogue, carrying the rolls of the law, walking seven times
round the aisles, and reverently bowing each time they
passed the ark. During the procession psalms were
solemnly chaunted in Hebrew. After depositing the rolls
in the ark Dr. Adler preached a sermon, in which he re-
joiced at the civil and religious liberty enjoyed by Jews in
this country at the present day, and alluded to the times of
the Inquisition. He spoke of the exalted civilisation of
England, and of its almost faultless political constitution.
During the service a prayer for the Queen and royal family
was offered up in Hebrew. A number of the principal
inhabitants were present at the ceremony. The Jewesses
were separated from the congregation.
A GALLANT SAILOR'S REWARD.—Edward Cleary,
the sailor who saved the lives of the captain and crew of
the Govindpore during the cyclone at Calcutta, last Septem-
ber, has been presented with the Royal Humane Society's
gold medal. Its presentation, along with some other gifts,
was made by the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, in the
presence of the Viceroy and a number of spectators.—
Times of India.
CONDITIONAL MARRIAGE.—A curious case is re-
ported from the Transvaal Republic. One De Villiers,
who left a wife in the colony, married again at Rustenberg,
but the landrost, in marrying him, imposed the condition
that he should, within six months, produce proof of his
having a divorce from his first wife, or otherwise the
second marriage should be declared null and void.—
SVlith African Advertiser.