A Description of a Large Lake Called Malholm Tarn, Near Skipton in Craven, in the County of Yorkshire; by John Fuller, Esq; Jun. F. R. S.

X. A Description of a large Lake called Malholm Tarn, near Skipton in Craven, in the County of Yorkshire; by John Fuller, Esq; jun. F.R.S. Malholm is a pretty Country Village, situated on the Southern Side of a monstrous high Hill, the Ascent of which is not very steep. By a Break between this Hill and another, which are joined by a Rock, which measures 82 Yards perpendicular, and seems to be about Two-thirds of the Height of the Hill, I conclude the Hill to be about 120 Yards perpendicular. On the Top of this Rock there still remains the Appearance of a Chanel for 2 or 300 Yards together, which, by its having no Mould or Earth to cover it, I judge to have been a Passage for that Water, which formerly used to tumble over the Precipice, but now has found a Passage under-ground, and flows out at the Bottom of the Rock, being now called Air-Head, viz. the Head of the River Air. The Rock is called Malholm Cove. Between the Top of this Mountain and the Tops of Four others, is Malholm Tarn* (I say the Tops of them, for though they steep a Quarter of a Mile towards the Lake from their Tops, it is at a Mile and an half down to the flat Country on the Outside). This Lake is between 3 or 400 Acres. The Shape of it is a Parallelogram, the Length of which equals about twice the Breadth: There are no Weeds in it. In a fine still Day, you may see the white chalky Bottom, where it is 10 or 12 Foot deep. I wonder * A Saxon word for a Lake. Camden takes no Notice of this Lake; for it must have been there in his Time, and he must have been very near it; for he describes a Precipice, which I am pretty certain is the Northern Side of one of those very Hills which help to form Malholm Tarn. There are but Two visible Springs that supply it with Water, one lies East, the other North-west; and by what I could guess, there are only these Two Springs; for the Discharge seems to be no greater than what these Springs supply. The superfluous Water of this Lake is discharged by a gliding Stream, about Four Feet broad, and Two or Three Inches deep; which runs above-ground about 2 or 300 Yards, and then dips under-ground at Two different Places about 10 Yards distant from one another. What becomes of these Streams after their dipping, (though the Relation appears somewhat fabulous, yet) as it is affirmed by all the Men of Credit in the Neighbourhood, I could not help believing it. About a Mile below Malholm Village there are Two Springs that discharge themselves into the River Air about 10 Yards distant from one another, one somewhat greater than the other. The Neighbours assured me that if Wheat-chaff was put into either of the Rivulets at the Place of their dipping, in about Eight Hours time it would come out at the greater or lesser Spring, and not out of both, into the River Air, which is from the Place of their first dipping about Two Miles and an half. By this it appears, that these Two Rivulets never communicate in their subterraneous Passage. The Tarn abounds with only Two sorts of Fish, Trouts and Perch: The Trouts very large and red; the Perch Perch far exceed in Size and Goodness any I have ever seen, being commonly 20 Inches long, weighing Four or Five Pounds. They are taken only with Hooks, it being so deep and stony, that you cannot draw a Net: The only Bait for them is an Earth-worm; the rocky Soil, and the Springs coming so little a Way, affording them very little of that sort of Food. XI. Extract of a Letter from Monsieur de Bremond, M.D. to Dr. Mortimer, concerning a File rendered Magnetical by Lightning. Translated from the French by T.S. M.D. F.R.S. In No 437. of the Philosophical Transactions you have published, Sir, a Letter of Dr. Cookson, of Wakefield, on an extraordinary Effect of Lightning, which communicated Magnetism to several Iron Tools. I have received a Letter from the Coast of St. André in Dauphiné, dated Sept. 7, 1739, giving an Account of a Fact of the same Nature, which I here send you as I received it. "Three Weeks ago the Lightning fell 30 Paces from my House on that of a Clock-maker. I shall not enter into the Particulars of the Ravage it committed. Every-body knows how surprising the Effects of Thunder are: But here is one that is very singular. The Thunder broke one of the Clock-maker's Files, four Inches from the End; so that there still remained Seven Inches of it in the Handle;"