The Sun.
London, England, 1824-07-17 00:00:00

THE LATE STORM.

lIRTHER TART icuiAns.]
Wixnsoa, JULY 15.—During the whole of
yfsterday, Windsor and its neighbourhood werd
visited with one of the most tremendous storms
of rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning,
that has been known fur several years. Short-
ly after ten o'clock in the forenoon the tem-
pest commenced, and continued with scarcely
any intermis.ion until two o'clock this morning•
The lightning was uncommonly vivid and intense;
several reports are in circulation of imdividuals
having lost their lives, but we are happy to state,
that up to the present moment, they have re-
ceived no confirmation.

[Extract of a letter from
.li.entford, near Newmarket, Nei

Ju1y,•1824.]

" At half:past 12 o'clock on Wednesday last this village tree
visited by a most dreadful tempest of thunder, lightning, sad
rain, which was followed with the most tremendous hail ever
seen by the oldest inhabitant of the place. In five minutes the
whole of the windows of Mr.. J. Weisman, a farmer, were
broken to atoms, and in the garden the ax4plia4 and wall-frtrits
were all destroyed. One • hailstone, after lying half an hour,
was picked up, 'and it measured 5 inches and a quarter round,
and thousands were seen in the garden ac large as hen eggs.—
Tae surrounding cottages suffered severely, but we do rot hen,
of any lives being lost. At 10 o'clock at night, another Ator.n
arose, which, with the exception of hail, was equally dreadfol,
and this continued until 5 o'clock in the morning;."
DEVIZES, JULY 15.—We were visited yesterday morning
with the most awful thunder and lightning ever witnessed, :4-
companied with heavy showers of rain. The storm commenced
about nine o'clock, and continued for upwards of an hour,
during the whole of which time we believe there was not s
minute's intermission between the different 'peals of thunder.
It proceeded 'from the south, and at Romsey we understand a
large thunderbolt fell on the tower, and made its way into the
church, splintering some large beams, with which it came•in
contact, into atoms. Three boys were struck senseless, but
have since recovered.

WEYMOUTH, JULY 15.—Vesterday morning one cf the
most violent storms of rain, accompanied by a tremendous clap
of thunder, took place that we ever remember to have witnessed;
previous to which the sea appeared in an extraordinary con•
vulsed state, and all of a sudden approached the Esplanade
wall, a distance of thirty yards from the water's edge, and again
rushed back. During the short period of this phenomenon, s
small vessel approaching the harbour was seen to be aground
on the same spot as the Packet had a few minutes before passed
over with a flowing sheet. During the thunder storm, attended
with vivid flashes of lightning, a ball of fire passed through the
roof of a cottage occupied by Mr. Wm. Stone, of Wyke Regis.
Part of the tiling was demolished, and the lightning split a gun
in three pieces, did numb injury to the interior, burnt the win-
, Clow curtains, and broke a quantity of china. Fortunately all
the family were absent. The tide rose three feet in the short
space of one minute, and refluxed in the same period of time.
This convulsion is supposed to be the effect of an earthquake in
some other quarter of the globe.
DOUCHESTEH, JULY M.—Several heavy thunder storms
fell at Dorchester in the course of yesterday ; a temporary check
has thus been- given to the hay harvest, which for the three or
four previous d.aytt had the advantage of the finest weather we
have known during the season.
A letter from Paris says--" The weather, notwithstanding
heavy showers, has for the last three days been suffocatingly
hot here, which proves the observation of a traveller to be true,
that the Parisians ought to possess the qualities of a frog and
salaniander."

GOURLAY.

Hotrst of Conn'EcTiosr, Cold Bath.fields, July 13, 1024.
Sr R —Understanding from the Governor of this House that
he cannot regularly lay before you a letter which I addressed !
to him yesterday, for that purpose, I shall now Annex a copy
of it ; requesting you to read this, and it to the Grand Jury, I
and earnestly entreating that the whole premises may be se.
riously considered, as !loon as convenient.

........ _
I have the honour to be,
Sir, your obedient Servant,
To the Chairman of the Grand Jury
GOURLAY.
of the Middlesex sessions.

house of Correction, July 12.
Sin—l often write letters, not for the purpose of informing
the person to whom they are addressed, but for registering my
own thoughts, purposes, and principles • as well as to make
him a witness of them. •In this way I have written to you
twice, anal in the same way I write now, with an additional
object. On Saturday you called me to ask if I had sent to the
newspapers any complaint of the prison. I had sent out so
article, but not of this kind. You are welcome to see it, as yon
have seen one dispatched since. You advised me to employ 4
solicitoi, and to procure bail, as the Grand Jury might sit
all this week, and then let my case stand over till next Session.,
Now, Sir, this is a very important matter, and induces me to
be quite determined as to my conduct. I will not now eta.
ploy a Solicitor; neither will I trouble myself further about
bail. 'rite moment that I got to the Public Office, Bow'
street, on the day of my. arrest, I wrote for friends to Conte
to me; and some came Instant!), to give evidence and bail;
but Mr. Halls refused bail that night, and would not say
on what terms he would grant it next day. I will not 00
fast and loose with any body,' and therefore made no further
attempt to be bailed, till after reading the Statute, untie .
colour of which I am imprisoned, last Thursd
seeing that
this clearly admitted of bail, I got friends together for conaul•
tation on the subject. My own resolution at first was to
make no attempt; but it being suggested that it would b4l
in my favour, in the event of a trial, to go out, and show
myself, and make arrangements, I wrote to the Sitting Ns-
gistrates here, who referred me to the Committee at How-
street. I then wrote to Mr. Halls, who said, that my friends
should come to him next day (Friday), at Bowestreet ; and there
he told them no bail could be granted till the Doctors reported it
safe for me to be bailed. He said, if I chose, he would order the
Doctors to visit me; but that it was scarcely worth while as
the Sessions commenced on Monday ; and probably I would
be discharged for want of a prosecutor on Tuesday. Mr. Halls
promised that I should be accommodated here as a gentleniaM
but before this promise he had not behaved like one; anal:
therefore I put no trust in his word afterwards • •
• * ". From reflections on these occurrences, I made no
objections to sleep in the Infirmary, when you took me their.
I not only think it vain to struggle with the arbitrary power of
Government, but wise to submit cheerfully when difficulties
cannot be.surmounted. I attached no blame to you ;up to this
day I have pleasure in acknowledging your civilities, and say'ing that the general treatment of prisoners seems judicious and
mild. One thing only is obitettonable, but that, of course'
must be controulled by the Magistracy, not the Governor.--.
I mean the confinement of certain criminals in the same
place with men. It is my opimion that certain crimes A
so disgusting, that men, however guilty otherwise, shouldt•
not be subjected even to the sight of the perpetrators 0
arch. In the Infirmary I was not unhappy because c'f
a poor maniac being
_en inmate; but after. I ;knew
thing else, the very pleCe was loathsoMe ; and in tmi i."
sent room, even the neighbourhood of the mime thing is eie::•1-1
ing. Were Magistrates to think of it, I dmibt not but tiel
would arrange for the better—arranged so, that no eye Lb"'
witness what ought, if possible, not even t J be thought of for a_
moment. By a simple and not a very costly alteration, the
gentlemen who occupy the staie-anartmen:s here could be Pr°'
tected from the sight of a dozen criminals, who daily pace Melf
rounds in the adjoining lug tae. This I should be glad
point out to you, with it Aagistrate, at any time.
May I now request of you to get this letter laid before the
Grand Jury, which assemble to.day, as soon as possible, that))
may be known that I expect my case to be taken into consider.
etion this Session, eo that I may either be tried immediately,
or_ have the benefit of Gael Delivery, because of thert
bein no prosecutor. I protest tot Only against the opinion c'
the Doctors, upon which I am confined, but against the fig'
titer insult of being subjected to their scrutiny. I will not g°.
to the expence of a farthing here—upon this principle. thatI
would be quite absurd for me to hold out by opposing ITV
monied means to those of ttovernment. The liberty of a 130.
fish subject should cost nothing; and I shall not leavepril
before that•point is given up, by any submission of mule.
shall not suffer it to be truly alleged, from•any precedent in 01
case, that a poor man must give in, and be dependent either 0
the charity of friends or the aid of solicitor. I have lived on
the'gaol provision of food ; and in testimony of preparing tu.r„.
the worst, shall, along with this, hand unto you some clothell.t".
be washed and mended, as I understand the customs and rill"
of the prison admit of this.
I am, Sec. ROB. GOUBLAY•
To the Governor.-4 Morning' Herald.