The Sun. — 1808-08-09 (London, England)

EDINBURGH, AUG. 4.  • THUNDER STORM.---in addition to the different accounts...we have alreadygiven of the extent,Niolence, and progress of the thunder-storm that took place on Thursday the 21st ult. we have received the follow•,ing : at the house of Kersiebank, in 'the neighbourhood of PolinOnt, occupied- at present by a Lady, -her two children, a niece, and servant-maid, the, clouds, by the. hour of ten o'clock, had a very uncommon appearance;' the atmosphere seemed _itnpregnated with ,sulphur, and thunder was hew& at a.coOsiderable distance. But, by twelve, the peals became extremely loud,and frequent, and betwixt - the, flashes of the lightning. there was little or no intermission; when, all at once, the family werealarmed by a most tremendous noise from the hall, Like the shot of a cannon ;.,upon which all around it . appeared to be filled with fire and smoke. In the hail itself, the' plaster, and. every thing else that could be severed from the walls, were broke down ; in • both dining-room and ,drawing-room the bell, wires, and many other articles, were:torn off; the door of a closet was forceclopeu,-and the lock broken to pieces, as were also a variety of articles of china and • glass that were in it. The. Lady's'son, in one : of the apartments on the second flat, had a book he wai reading driven from his hand, feeling, at the same time, as if he bad gota blow on his breast, when he observed the liglithjiig fly, something like stars, from his buttons. The servant in the kitchen care.l out she was kiikd.; but none Of them were injured, only the latter telt rem- some time the effeas of the lightning on her neck and arm. In short, the whole scene; was truly awful and tremendous, insomuch, that those who afterwards' saw the ravage that had been made, considered it next to a miracle that the fat/lily had escaped unhurt.  RENOVATION OF SlGllT.—Lately died in the village of Aberteldie, ,Perthshire, Margaret Robinson, at the adVanced age of 96 years. The history-of this woman, in regard to the recovery of her sight, is somewhat remarkable, and is not unworthy of record, not merely as declaratory of the fat itself, but as also holding out strong hopes tO those who are, or may -be, unhappily placed in a siniilar condition of recovering this inestimable blessing, sight. About the period this woruan, who was a farmer's wife, attained the age of 63, she became totally blind, not suddenly, or by any particular cause, but by a gradual decay of sight. In this state she remained for 15 years. In her 78th year, she recovered her sight so well, that, With the assistance of glasses, she was able to thread a .needle and to read her bible. , In the course. of the next year, 'she found it so strong aiid clear, that she-laid 'aside her glasses altogether. From her 79th to the 87th year Ober life, she enjoyed her sight with as much clearness as she did at. any period of her life : it then began to fail again, but was not totally lost at: the time of her death. It is observable that she always retained- all her other lacnities with undiminiShed vigour to the last. The following very extraordinary circumstance lately took , place at Calicut seven desperate Malays who had been the terror 'of the adjacent country, having carried away the cattle, set fire to the cottages, and murdered several.of the natives who opposed their depredations, were .J,lpprehended and lodged; in the public gaol, when, during the period ' of their confinemetit„ they behaVed in the most refradory and resolute manner. On being brought to trial, several charges were 'brought home to them, and they all received sentence of death ; but the evening previous to their execution, they rose on their guards, whom they murdered; and possessing themselves of their. muskets, bade defiance to the keeper of the vi-ison and his assistants. The Officer commanding in the distrial, With a small detachment of Seapoys, attempted to scale the walls of the firison, the doors and windows being blockaded within; but he was repulsed with the loss of seveisl men ; the Assailants however being reinforced from an adjacent station, and the desperadoes finding themselves overpowered,- set fire to that part of the prison in which .they were confined, and refusing all' assistance, petished in the flames. Fortunately the rest of the prisoners were rescued, and a part of the- building was saved from destruaion.