Very early (first?) documentation of these unusual luminous electrical discharges, which dart from thunderclouds up towards space. These and other facinating observations are within "Natural Electricity", chapter 7 of "Rudimentary Electricity" by Sir W. Snow Harris, third edition 1853.
Full chapter scanned for your delectation. 11 pages
Highlights -
Recorded in 1853
General Pollock`s observations of 1842 at the Khyber Pass - The Electric Musket - p177
Red Sprites & Blue Jets - p182
Electrical Nature of Earthquakes - p184