Star.
London, England, 1824-08-05 00:00:00

THUNDER STORM AT QUEBEC.

Extract of a letter from an Officer at Quebec, to his
friend in Nottingham, dated June 13, 1824:
" On the 9th we had a violent storm of thunder and lightning,
and I was driven for shelter into a door-way in the market-place.
After remaining some time, a dreadful explosion forced me back
into a shop, and nearly threw me down; a horse was struck dead
on the pavement close to where I stood, and I distinctly saw the
lightning strike the four conductors of the Catholic Seminary. I
ran immediately to the Jesuits' Barracks, close by, as from the
movement amongst the soldiers at the gate, I thought all was not
right. My fears were too well founded ! The lightning had struck
the barracks in four different places, broken the windows, torn up
the floors, knocked down one of the large chimnies, and done other
injury to the building : two of our men and a child were killed, and
many thrown down. Of those who were killed, one was a bugler
of the company I command : he was in fhe act of lighting his pipe
at one of the barrack-room fires' when the electric matter descending
down the chimney, struck himdead on the spot, and rendered five
of his companions insensible. The other sufferer bad his child in
his arms, and the lightning entering one of the windows, killed
them also instantaneously. The heart-rending cries of this man's af-
fectionate wife were distressing beyond description, and no force
could restrain her from entering the room, where the surgeons were
making vain efforts to restore the vital spark, by opening the jugu-
lar vein in her husband and child. Having hastily viewed those
parts of the Jesuits' Barracks which had suffered from the electric
matter, [ hastened home to my quarters in the Officers' Barracks,
which, you know, are in St. Louis-street, and some distance from
the Jesuits, for the purpose of changing my wet clothes. The
next rooms to mine were occupied by my friend and constant
companion, Ensign Cogan, who joined us only last fall, and from
his excellent temper, and being a well-educated young man, of
good Scotch family, bad become a very great favourite, not only in
the corps, but also in the first families in Quebec, by whom he was
particularly noticed last winter. After changing my wet clothes,
and the storm continuing with great violence, I sought for society
in the company of my neighbour Cogan ; but picture to yourself, if
possible, my horror and astonishment, when, on entering his room,
I beheld my poor friend extended lifeless on the floor in a most ap-
palling attitude, a livid, blackened corpse. lie had entered only a
few minutes before, and taken off his wet coat and waistcoat; and
being a great admirer of lightning (which we had frequently heard
him assert), was standing at the window in his shirt, viewing, no
doubt, with admiration, the awful and sublime scene without,
when the electric matter being attracted by the upper belt of the
window, passed from thence into the right breast, and descended
through the right leg into dui-floor, ftom whence it found a ready.
conductor in the stove-pipe of the room beneath. There was a
dreadful smell of sulphur and other burnt matter in the room, the
windows being closed, and my poor friend presented one of the
most horiid spectacles you can possibly imagine : his hair and eye-
brows were burnt, the right breast much spotted and disfigured, the
face (whiclr a few minutes before I had seen lighted up with the
smiles of good nature) was now livid and bloated, and presented a
strange contrast to the colour of his hands, which resembled white
wax. On examining the body, it appeared the electric matter had
discoloured the right leg, and burnt the shoe. The attitude, as I
before said, had something in it peculiarly appalling ; he had fallen
backwards, and with his feet close to the window, his face upwards,
and his arms extended, the whole scene was at once presented to
my view as I entered the room, amidst the most violent contentions
of the elements without, and the brilliant and constant flashes of
lightning which gleamed over his face. Never, while I live, shall
I forget the horror of that moment ! We read of such things in
novels and elsewhere, and shudder at the bare idea; but here it
was presented to me in dreadful reality, with every accumulation
of horror. I quitted the house, with a determination never to re-
' enter my rooms, and for a few days have been living with Colonel
Mao—. However, to close my sad eventful story, it became ne-
cessary to commit the bodies of these poor sufferers to their last
homes, with as little delay as possible, as corruption immediately.
commences its destructive operations in cases of this nature; in is
hours after they were borne to the grave. I was one of poor Co-
gan's pall-bearers. The funeral was conducted with great ceremony,
all the garrison attending; and at the Church door we were met by
the bodies of the poor men and child killed in the Jesuits' Barracks.
The first part of the funeral service being performed in the Church
they there joined, and formed a part of out procession to the burial
ground (nearly a mile distant, in the suburb of St. Roche). A sad
and melancholy sight it was, to behold the coffins of four poor crea-
tures, who only a few hours previous had been in full health and
vigour. Not a dry eye was to be seen ; the Catholic population
crossed themselves with fear and trembling as we passed through
the crowded streets, and the very musicians partook of the mourn-
ful depression with which all appeared to be affected. We have
this morning had an affecting and eloquent discourse on the event,
from our Rev. Chaplain, Dr. Mills, who was with ourjlivision in
the Peninsula : indeed, at one time, the feelings of the worthy Di-
vine were so overcome, that be was unable to proceed. Poor
Cogan and myself had dinedwith him the day previous mais sad
nrroarrynew"

SINGULAR COINCIDENCE.-At an obscure house in a
court in Piccadilly, appropriated for the purposes of an
anatomical school, a poor woman occupies the ground
floor, who actually deals in muscles, her husband is a
bone-merchant, and over the door is a board with this
inscription—Mangling done here! .
At the Assizes for the county of Lincoln, on Monday,
Robert Burton, and Mary Burton, bis wife, stood in-
dicted for stealing, in the dwelling-house of Joseph
Cheetham, of Louth, victualler, on the 21st of July last,
one brown Holland purse, containing 39 sovereigns, three
half-sovereigns, one guinea, and a quantity of 51. notes.
—The wife of the prosecutor said that her husband
kept a public-house at Louth. The property in ques-
tion was kept in a box under the bed. On this particu-
lar day prosecutor and his wife went out, leaving the
box quite safe; but on their return in the evening, it was
found broken open, and cleared of its contents. The fe-
male prisoner in the meantime had been seen going out
of the house. They were afterwards traced to a shop in
the town offering the larger money to change. Subse-
quently, upon their apprehension, the purse was con-
veyed away to a younger sister of the female prisoner,
iwho bid it in a garden. The husband was not impli-
cated until after the robbery, and the indictment did
not charge him with receiving the stolen money.—The
Jury found the wife Guilty—Death; and acquitted
the husband.

POLVE.INTELLIGENCE..
BOW4TREJIT,
iiioday evening last a person, who stated his name to be 48,„
ifiratioilk, was brongbt to this Office, charged by Mr. Joe,
IrNay, of 41, Warwlek-street, Golden-square, with stealing frees
hisn a waistcoat, a pair of trowsers, and two pair of silk stockings,
It appeared that the parties had met at Paris, and that Mr. Mune,
vine represented himself to be the son of Sir Alexander Men-ay.
Being in distress, Mr. Mt Nally assisted him, and paid his expenses
to this country. On their arrival Mr. Manneville requested Mr,
1114Nally to call on his father at his house, in a pardadar street,
which he mentioned, and to endeavour to settle some differences
which he said existed between them, and procure a reconciliation.
Mr. M`Nally went as directed, but could find no Sir Alexander
' Murray, and on his return he found that the prisoner bad decanl
with part of his wardrobe, together with a balance of cash, which
remained in his hands, and with:which Mr. Witially had entrusted
him to pay their travelling expenses. He lost sight of hint till 0 c
evening in question when be met him in Regent-street, securd
him, and brought hint to this Office.
Mr. Manneville entered into a long statement of his connections
with Mr. M`Nally, in Paris, the major part of which Mr. M4Nalle,
said was false ; and with respect to the clothes, he ssid they weir
lent to him by Mr. hPNally. This Mr. hl‘Nally denied, and the
prisoner was remanded, upon an understanding that there wss a
Lady from Cambridge, now in London, whom he bad robbed of
£3O, and who would come forward against him.
The prisoner was again brought up for examination yesterday,
when a Lady attended, and stated, that she became acquainted with
the prisoner in the packet, going from England to France; that he
insinuated himself into her confidence, and that having a bill of
£3O to discharge at Calais, she intrusted him with that sum to pay
the bill, but she bad subsequently discovered that he had applied
the money to his own use. This, however, was net all, far he bad
circulated reports at Paris highly prejudicial to her moral charac-
ter, informing the people there, that she ran away from England
with him, and that her husband followed them with loaded pistols,
determined on the destruction of both, but they were teo quick for
him; with a dozen other ridiculous and absurd additions to the
principal slander. All this.she declared was wholly untrue. She
did not wish, however, to prefer any charge against him that would
oblige her to become his public accuser.
Mr. HALLS said, that if she had no wish to prosecute, it was not
necessary she should state her case ; but even if she were, he ap.
prehended, as the offence had been committed in France, he could
not take cognizance of it.
The Lady then retired, and a pawnbroker having produced part
of the articles stolen from Mr. which the prisoner had
pledged with him, the prisoner was committed for trial.