MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE
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ain the midst of life We are in death"


On Friday afternoon last, the 25d inst. our
borough was visited by most distressing
calamity. About O'Clock a gust arose from
the west, accompanied with lightning and
thunder, and in its passage, which was i'm
mcdiatcly over the town, an awful discharge
of electric fluid, accompanied by an equally
awful peal Of thunder, alarmed our citizens
into IN apprehension that it must have made
destruction in it's coursc--and so indeed it
did.-'Thc lightning struck the chimney of
the three story dwelling of Mrs. Mary Smith,
at the corner of King and Broad streets, and
shiycred it to the roof--thcn passed into the
third story, where an amiablc lady, EH-d,
the daughter Of Mrs. 5. was seated by the
window at her needle, and melancholy TO rr-
late, in an instant, prosttatcd her, lifclcss
corpse upon the floor. The awful weapon
of death then descended to the lower apart
ments Of the house and severely injured O.
thcr members Of the family, among whom
were tho mother and older sister Of the dc
CtdScu. TOW awful llluSS Htl'S DSNii tiiS
feelings Of those who were spared, on roco-
verng from the CONSERVATION into which
they were thrown, to gaze around them, and
behold the distressing scene that present
ed itself to their vicw-and where is the
heart that cannot sympathisc and taste with
them the bitter cup of sorrow. Their loss is
one that outweighs the heaviest OF earthly
Affections We will not indulge ourselves in
detailing the virtues Of this amablc young
lady, but will repeat what hundreds have
sad she lived beloved and died lamcntcd
by all who knew her. She had, by her al
most unparalleled excellence acquired d
name, which, had her days been numbered
to three score and ten, would have long out
lived her earthly cXistcncc-but she has fed
to the union Of kindred souls-and while the
suddcnness other demise recalls again to our
minds the uncertainty of this life, and that
whilst We arc in the midst of its cnjoymcnts,
death is probably near us, let us turn to her
who has gon. before us, and initiate her vir-
tues, and when we attain to the perfection
of Eliza Smith, VIC need not fear to die.