The Litchfield County post., 1828-07-17

eSwasfty and kNewlsdee of ny iaexpscahle guide carried us on. lt was ln vain that in- sisted upon knowing the purpose of this ter Rible traverse. He pressed his hand on his heart in re-assnrance of his fidelity, and still spuFred on. We now passed under the shade of an immense range of lofty buildings, whose gloomy and solid strength seemed to bid deii- ance to chance and time. 4 sudden yell ap- paled me. A ring of fire swept round it's summit burning cOrdage, sheets of canvass, and shower of all things combustible, fe'v into the air above our heads. An uprOar fol lowed, unlike all that had ever heard, a hi- deOus mixture Of howls, shrieks, and groans. The flames rolled down the narrow street be- fore us, and made the passage next to impOs- sible. While we hesitated, huge fragment ufthe building heaved, as if in an earthquake, and fortunately for us, fell inwards. The whole scene of terror was then open. The great ampitheatre of StatiIius Taurus had caught fire; the stage, with its lifiammable furniture, was intensely blazing below. The flames were wheeling up, circle above circle, thrO' the seventy thousand seats that rose from the ground fo the roof. ! stood iD un- speakable awe and wonder on the side of this colossal cavern, this mighty temple of the city of fire. At length descending blast cleared away the smoke that covered the a Yena. The cause of those horrid cries was now visible. The wild beasts kept for the games had broke from their dens. Madden cd by alright and pain, lions.tigers, partners, wolves, whole herds of the monsters ofIndia and Africa, were enclosed in an impossible barrieP of fire. They bounded, they fought. they screamed, they tore they ran bowling round and round tie circle; they made des- pefate leaps upwards through the blaze; they were flung back, and fell only to fasten their fangs in each other,and with their parching jaws bathed in blood, die raging. I looked anxi0usly to see whether any human being was involved in this fearful catastrophe To my great relief could see none. The keep CTS and attendants had obviously escaped.- As expressed my gladness, I was startled by loud cry from my guide,t ,the first sound that had heard him utter. He pointed to the opposite side of the ampitheatre. There in- deed sat an object of melancholy interest man who had either been unable to escape, or had determined to die. Escape was now i'm possible. He sat in desperate calmness on his funeral pile. He was gigantic Ethiopian slave, entirely naked. He had chosen his place,as if in mockery, ,on the imperial throne; the fire was above him and around him; and under this tremendous canopy he gazed, with out the movement of muscle, on the com bat of the wild beasts below; solitary sove- reign, with the whole tremendous game play cd for himself, and inaccessible to the power of man."
 CAUSALITIES BY LIGHTNING.
 The Causalities by Lightning have been unusually numerous during the past fortnight. Eoll &hn toned in the late papers :-
 The Ithica Journal states, that Mr. Scar geant Baker was killed instantly by lightning Baker was rev olutionary veteran, and for number of years member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was in his s4th year.
 On Saturday afternoon, 29th ult severe storm visited Salem, Me. The House of MT. Francis, at the head of Broad street, was struck and sustained great damage. Sever- al other places in the town and it's vicinity were also struck. The royal mast to the new ship Mandarin was shiyered. and some of the splinters forced to the distance of thir- Ay rods. Four men in the forecastle were prostrated.
 The hoase of Benj. Crowingshield Esq. in Danvers, and the school house in Beverly were also struck; the latter being much in- jured. Two cows grazing in the field were struck dead at Ipswich. A barn near Ashby, was destroyed with all its contents. A boy at Townsend was struck sensless.
 At Fayetteville N. c. the house of MT. Jones was destroyed by lightning on the goth. The steeple of the Presbyterian church was also struck, but not injured.
 At Salisbury in the same state, a son of Martin Shelby, of Guilford county, was struck dead by lightning in his fathers house, on the 10th instant, while attempting to shut win dow. Mt
 The storm was severe at Kingston, Ulster county on the SOth ult. The lightning was very vivid. The Ulster Sentinel states that it struck the house of MT. l.. Van Kuren, in the east part of the village entering the corn ice at the northwest corner, and descended thence into room, in the second story by a number of apertures, similar to those made by musket Balls, it passed down into the par l0r below and 50 on by the chain of an alarm clock through the floor into the cellar. It shivered the fastenings of the clock case, and the whole fell with frightful crash upon the floor. One of the young ladies entered the room immediately after, and distinctly saw the lightning still playing around the works of the prOstrate clock! The apartments, were fil- led with smoke for considerable period sub-