The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-06-04

en- by storm of thunder and lightning, ac-
companied by heavy fall of snow and
whI.e crossing large tract of snow, they
were struck with the lightning, receiving
however no serious injury. Mr.. Upper
felt painful sensation in his back, which
gradually assembled towards his head. and
occasioned feeling as if his hair was NOV
\ ing. This sensation induced our traveller
to raise his hand to his head, when he was
surprised to hear q buzzing noise proceed
ing from his fingers. Upon raising and ex-
tending his arm the noise still continued.
but upon moving his hand ard fingers with
different degrees of velocity, he found that
he could produce great variety of sounds,
differing In their tone as we'll as their inten-
slty, and so loud that they could be distinct
/ ly heard at the distance of 40 feet. The
guide witnessed these phenomena with ut
ter dlsmay and imagining that the gentle
man produced the sounds, by virtue Of some
/ supernatural power, he Immediately began
to, cross himself and invoke the protection
! OF his saint. His alarm however changed
to surprise, when, by raising his own arm,
he found 1t as musical as that of Mr.. Tup-
per. Mr.. Lanfar, who was behind the rest
OF the party, now came up, and discovered
that his fingers possessed similar proper
ty. In the course of few minutes after
this, however, their fingers lost their acous-
tic property; the cloud having by this time
passed a considerable distance. The trav-
oilers received no lasting injury, while one
of them, Mr.. Upper, was actually benefit
teddy the occurrence. He had received an
injury in his left shoulder joint, by fall
from his horse; but after the copious cleo
trisation on Mount Etna, ne never expert
enced any return of the pain.
These curious and wonderful facts are
easily explained by the principles of Natur-
al Philosophy. Snow is a conductor next
in order to water, and it is pretty plain
that the bodies of travellers could not have
been overcharged with the electric fluid, in
consequence of any difficulty which it expe-
renced in passing into the earth. Their
fingers therefore acted like so many points
in drawing electricity from an atmosphere
highly charged in the same manner as
when the hand or the head is presented to
an electrified prime conductor The varie-
ty in the character as well as in the intensity
of the sounds which were produced at the
points Of their fingers, arose from the differ
ent velocities of their fingers, and may be
readily inflated By other species Of sound.
Boston IrdUelter.
OPTICAL PHENOMENA. A shepherd
upon one of the mountains in Cumberland,
was suddenly one night enveloped with a
thick fog mist, through which every object
appeared SO greatly increased in magnitude,
that he no longer knew where he was. In
this state of confusion, he wandered in
search of some known object, from
which he might direct his future steps.
Chance at last brought the lost shepherd
within sight of what he supposed to be a
very large mansion, which he did not re-
member to have seen before; but on his en-
tering this visionary castle, to inquire his
way home, he found it inhabited by his own
family 1t was nothing more than his own
cottage. Instances of the same kind of IL
fusion, though not to the same degree, are
not unfrequent in those mountainous re-
gions. From these effects of vision, it is
evident that the pupil and the picture of an
object within the eye, increase at the same
time.-EngIish paper.
john BAKER. The St. John Courier rcceiv-
ed in Portland this week, contains long report !
of the trial of Baker at the May term of the Su-
preme Court of n b. The indictment charged
him I" of conspiracy to excite sedtion and dis
loyaty--to resist the execution of the laws, &c.
Baker pleaded not guilty. After the examina-
ton on the part of the Crown, Mr.. Baker was
called upon for his defence, which was in the
following words
"Iam citizen Of the United States, and owe
allegiance to that country. | have lately re-
ceved my Deed from the States of Maine and
Massachusetts. | hold myself bound to their
Courts | live in American Territory, and hold
myself only liable to the Courts of that place,
being the county of Penobscot, in the State of
Maine ! enter no defence and call no evidence
| do decline the jurisdiction of this Court. .
The case was then submitted to Jury I'M
der charge from Judge Chapman After an
hours dellberation, the Jury returned into
Court with verdict of guilty. The sentence
of the Court was, Imprisonment in the County
Jail two months, and fine OF G25-the prison
er to remain committed until the fine is paid.
A mder punishment could not be expected
where Judge and Jury and every individual
present at the trial, were parties against Ba-
kerr. The moderation and good conduct of our
fellow-eitizen deserves the highest praise.
| Maine Palladium.
! SHAKERIsM UNMAsKED Or THE HIsTo-
RY OF THE SHAKERS. VIM. J. Haskell has
a book in press, with the above title, of
about 300 pages. 1t will be ready for sub
| scribers in four weeks. 1t is understood to
be very curious work, containing many
anecdotes concerning this singular people
their form OF Governmental review of their
hymns, and the grand mystery of Shaker
ism in sealed pages, which was revealed to-
Anne Lee in the garden of Eden. 1t is
said to candid collection Of facts, without
that scurrility which generally disgraces
writers on Shakersm.-P iH8feld .4rguS
A man was lately tried in England for selling
poisoned liquors, knowing the fact. A physi
clan stated that he attended upon the deceased,
in tho last stages of his sickness, and that he
exhibited symptoms Of inveterate poison. The