Star.
London, England, 1823-09-22 00:00:00

THUNDER STORMS in the UNITED STATES.

The papers recently received from the United States
teem with accounts of the fatal effects of thunder and
lightning during the month of July and the early part
of August.
The sloop Yankey, from New York to Edenton, was
struck with lightning on the Bth July, near Roanoke,
which shivered the mast, and did other di:nage. Wm.
J. Armistead, Esq. his wife, child, and servant, who were
passengers, fearing the vessel might blow up or sink,
precipitated themselves out of the cabin window into
the long-boat. The quicksilver in a phial was scattered
over the whole deck, and was suppcsed to have first at-
tracted the lightning to the vessel, and afterwards from
several kegs of gunpowder, thus, after bring the primary.
cause of the disaster, became the means of preserving
the lives of all on board.
For nearly a fortnight preceding the 6:11 of August,
there were frequent showers of rain, accompanied with
mach thunder and lightning. In Beverly, on the 2d of
August, a Mrs. Deborah Canico, aged 40, was killed by
the lightning. The electric P. tic: first struck the chim-
ney, at which it appears to have separated, and pro-
ceeded in opposite directions, as the roof on both sides
is very much shattered. In its 'progress down thesouth-
western side, it was attracted by a saw, han;ing in the
garret, one end of which touched the roof. It then pro-
ceeded in a perpendicular direction, perforated a small
hole through the chamber floor, and struck the head of
the deceased, who was stafiding at a closet door, di-
raptly under its descent. A wound was ii4licted on one
side of the head, and marks of its progress were visible
on the back of the deceased, as well as on her clothes,
which, with her hair were much scorched. From this
point the fluid appears to have scattered in all direc-
tions ; fur many parts of the building are in ruins—
floors ripped up, plastering stripped ot, d wrs torn from
their hinges, crockery scattered and broken, and look-
ingglasses fractured. There was another Lady sitting
by the window in the same room with tl.e tit case., who
remained wholly uninjured.
Another house within a few rods of this was greatly
shattered by the next' discharge of the fluid. A lady
and her child, who were sitting at the window, were
considerably injured, though not dangerously.
On the same evening a balk and its con•ents were de-
stroyed in Livington; and another, the promo of
Major S. Johnson, of East Bridgewater, was struck, and
entn ely consumed, frith from twelve to fourteen tons of
hay and oats, two valuable horses, two 'chaises, several
harnesses, and all his valuable farming utensils. Oa
the next morning the remains ofa human body were dis-
covered among the embers, which proved to be that of
aitian calling himself Simeon Davies, of New York,
travelling thither from Penobscot, and who probably
retired to the barn for protection from the tempest, and

there lost his lire.
In Canada thunder storms have also been frequent,
—On the third of August, as two of the childrenof
Joseph Frairie were watering their father's horses (Ere-
in number) in the parish of St. M.sthias, district of
Montreal, a tremendous stream of lightning pin-crated
all the horses, with the children, on the earth—Viree of
the horses were killed, but both the children escaped
without any other injury than being stunned, and It•d-
ing a certain indescribable stupor, which generally ac-
cony.tnies the recovery, of persons injated by lightning,

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