A very fine display of ball lightning was witnessed at Vence, in the southwest of France, on the night of March 21st and 22d, by M. Ed. Blanc, of which an interesting detailed account has just appeared in the Comptes Rendus of the French Academy, p. 666. Towards midnight there was observed about 11 miles northeast of Vence a large, black thundery cloud in a state of extreme agitation, and continually raising and lowering its position. At the upper part of this cloud three or four balls of fire issued every two minutes, as if from the invisible centre of the cloud, diverging in all directions, and after running a course from six to eight degrees, broke silently, with effulgent brightness. Their apparent diameter, as seen at a distance of eleven miles, was about a degree. They were mostly of a reddish color, a few, however, being of a yellowish tinge. But all of them assumed a white color in the act of bursting. Their course, which was horizontal and parallel to the plane of the cloud, was relatively slow, not exceeding two degrees per second, and they bore a strong resemblance to immense soap bubbler, both as regards apparent lightness and general appearance. From time to time a discharge of lightning passed through the cloud from above downward, followed some seconds after by a dull rumbling sound. The cloud, with its line display of fire-balls, took a course from east to west, passing about a league to the north of Vence. The glimmering of the lightning with its low dull thunderous sound continued for more than an hour, after which the sky became darker and darker ; rain mixed with hailstones fell, and lightning, accompanied with thunder, furrowed the sky in all directions.? Nature.