,,experiments                           
,,and                                   
,,observations                          
,,tending ,,to ,,illustrate ,,the       
,,nature                                
,,and                                   
,,properties                            
,,of                                    
,,electricity4               ,in one    
,,letter to ,martin ,folkes1 ,esq2      
,president1                      and    
,two to the ,royal ,society4            
,by ,,william ,,watson1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s4     
,,london3                  ,printed for 
,c4 ,,davis1 ,printer to the ,royal     
,society1 against ,gray's-,inn1         
,holborn4                               
,,mdccxlvi4                             
,price ,one ,shilling4                  
,,the                                   
,,preface4      ,the following ,sheets  
were not intended to be made publick1   
but as part  of the ,philosophical      
,transactions4 ,as those ,works are     
printed in the  order of ,time they are 

read2 these ,observations1 communicated 
to the  ,,royal ,,society at different  
,meetings1 would1 upon that ,account1   
have  been publish'd separate in        
different ,numbers of those             
,transactions4 ,to  satisfy therefore   
the ,impatience of several learned and  
very valuable  ,friends1 to whose       
,importunities ,i have neither ,will1   
nor ,inclination to  deny any thing in  
my ,power to grant1 ,i caused a few     
,copies to be  printed1 that the whole  
might be seen together1 and then broke  
up the  ,press4 ,this has excited the   
,curiosity of the ,publick1 and raised a
  ,demand for these ,experiments much   
beyond what ,i had reason to expect4 ,i 
therefore found it necessary to send    
them to the ,press a second ,time1  lest
 some of those over-officious           
,gentlemen1 who are always ready on     
these ,occasions1 should do it for me2  
so that whoever has an  ,inclination1   
may now be made acquainted1 by what     
,means the several  surprizing ,phnomena

 of ,electricity have been brought      
about4    ,i chose to lay these ,papers 
before the ,publick in the same ,dress  
wherein they appeared before the very   
honourable and learned ,body1 to  whom1 
as the various ,effects of ,electricity 
presented themselves1 they  were        
regularly communicated1 and from whom   
they met with a very  favourable        
,reception4 ,many ,members of the       
,,royal ,,society1 as well as  several  
other ,persons of great ,rank and       
,quality1 have been repeated  ,witnesses
 of the ,facts which are here laid      
before the ,world2  particularly the    
present worthy ,president1 ,,martin     
,,folkes1 ,esq2 whose  extensive        
,abilities and great ,knowledge in every
 ,branch of useful  ,literature are     
exceeded only by his ,candour and ,zeal 
in promoting  ,science4 ,the ,advice and
 ,assistance of this ,gentleman1 whose  
,friendship ,i  shall always esteem as  
one of the greatest ,happinesses of my  
,life1 has  been of great ,moment in the

 ,prosecution of these ,discoveries4 ,i 
therefore take this publick ,manner of  
testifying my sincerest  ,obligations as
 well to him1 as to ,sir ,,hans         
,,sloane1 ,bart4 who1 although  retired 
from ,business1 is nevertheless         
attentive to whatever tends to  the     
,advancement of ,philosophy4 ,upon a    
,report made to him of these            
,experiments and ,observations1 he1 as  
surviving ,executor of ,sir ,,godfrey   
,,copley1 was pleased to appoint me last
 ,year to receive the annual            
,prize-medal of ,gold1 given by the     
,,royal ,,society in consequence of ,sir
  ,,godfrey',s ,benefaction4 ,the       
,honour of being so particularly taken  
notice  of by ,gentlemen of such        
distinguished ,merit1 as it cannot but  
give me  the highest ,pleasure1 so shall
 it ever continue to raise in me        
,sentiments of the truest ,gratitude1   
and most profound ,respect4    ,,if it  
should be asked1 to what useful         
,purposes the ,effects of  ,electricity 

can be applied1 it may be answered1 that
 we are not as yet  so far advanced in  
these ,discoveries as to render them    
conducive to the  ,service of ,mankind4 
,perfection in any ,branch of           
,philosophy is to be  attained but by   
slow ,gradations4 ,it is our ,duty to be
 still going  forward2 the rest we must 
leave to the ,direction of that         
,providence1  which we know assuredly1  
has created nothing in vain4 ,but ,i    
make no  ,scruple to assert1 that       
notwithstanding the great ,advances1    
which have  been made in this part of   
natural ,philosophy within these few    
,years1  many and great ,properties     
remain still undiscover'd4 ,future      
,philosophers  7some perhaps even of the
 present ,age7 may deduce from          
electrical  ,experiments1 ,uses         
extremely beneficial to ,society in     
general4    ,,no present ,advantage     
accrued to those ,persons1 or to that   
,age1 which  first discover'd the       
,properties of the ,magnet4 ,many       

hundreds of ,years  intervened1 before  
they were applied to the great ,uses of 
,navigation4  ,had these remain'd a     
secret till now1 what other ,methods    
could have been  substituted in their   
,place1 by which we could securely      
traverse the vast  ,ocean8 ,all the     
,advantages we receive from distant     
,commerce1 we must  still have been     
,strangers to1 but for this fortunate   
,application of the  magnetical ,power4 
,and even the ,discoveries thus far had 
been very  imperfect1 without the       
,knowledge of the ,variation of the     
,compass4 ,but  the present ,age1 and   
even this ,nation1 boasts of a          
,gentleman#a1 who  seems to be entrusted
 with the magnetical ,powers themselves4
 ,he makes  artificial ,magnets1        
increases in a few ,minutes the ,powers 
of real ones  to a surprizing ,degree1  
changes at ,pleasure their ,poles1 and  
makes that  newly acquired ,polarity1   
permanent4 ,the ,world1 ,i hope1 will   
not long be  deprived of the ,manner1 by

 which these extraordinary ,changes are 
produced1 which as yet this ,gentleman  
thinks proper to conceal4 ,as           
,electricity has some ,properties in    
common with ,magnetism1 as will be      
shewn in the ,course of these           
,observations2 some new ,lights probably
 may  be thrown upon both4 ,but to      
return2 admitting even1 that no         
substantial  ,advantages could arise    
from the ,inquiries before us1 7which1  
however1 we  can by no means grant1 upon
 our considering the ,effects we already
  perceive of its ,operations upon human
 ,bodies7 whatever tends to enlarge  the
 ,conceptions of the ,mind1 and to      
implant in us still more lofty ,ideas   
of the ,almighty ,author of ,nature1    
deserves certainly1 independent of      
other ,considerations1 our highest      
,regard4    ,,these ,experiments were   
all made with ,glass ,tubes of about two
 ,foot  long2 the bore about an ,inch in
 ,diameter4 ,but a scrupulous ,exactness
 in  these ,proportions is no ways      

necessary4 ,the thinner and lighter     
these  ,tubes are1 the sooner they are  
excited2 though they1 'tis true1 don't  
retain their ,power so long as those1   
which are more thick and  substantial4  
,but where you intend to communicate the
 electrical ,power1  as fast as you     
excite it1 ,i should prefer a light     
,tube2 though it ought  never to be less
 than #a_/ab of an ,inch thick1 because 
of the ,danger of  breaking it by the   
,friction4    ,,the ,tube1 before it is 
rubbed1 should be always made dry and   
warm1  which may be done by laying it   
before the ,fire4 ,but ,i cannot omit   
hereupon making one further ,remark2    
viz4 that ,glass ,tubes1 exactly of  the
 same ,dimensions1 made at the same     
,time1 and with the same ,materials1    
vary considerably with regard to their  
fitness for electrical ,purposes4       
,clear and dry ,air with some degree of 
cold is most eligible1 though ,i  have  
succeeded in the greatest ,fogs1 but    
with more ,difficulty4                  

,,to                           ,martin  
,folkes1 ,esq2                          
,p4 ,r4 ,s4        ,,sir1    ,,the      
,society having heard from some of their
 ,correspondents in ,germany1  that what
 they call a ,vegetable ,quintessence   
had been fired by  ,electricity1 ,i take
 this ,opportunity to acquaint you1 that
 on ,friday  ,evening last ,i succeeded1
 after having been disappointed in many 
,attempts1 in setting ,spirits of ,wine 
on ,fire by that ,power4 ,the  preceding
 ,part of the ,week had been remarkably 
warm1 and the ,air very  dry1 than which
 nothing is more necessary towards the  
,success of  ,electrical ,trials2 to    
these ,i may add1 that the ,wind was    
then ,easterly  and inclining to freeze4
 ,i that ,evening used a glass ,sphere  
as well as a  ,tube2 but ,i always find 
myself capable of sending forth much    
more ,fire  from the ,tube than from the
 ,sphere1 probably from not being       
sufficiently  used to the last4    ,i   
,,had before observ'd1 that although#b  

,non-electric ,bodies made  electrical1 
lose almost all that ,electricity by    
coming either within or  near the       
,contact of ,non-electrics not made     
electrical2 it happens  otherwise with  
,regard to ,electrics per se1 when      
excited by rubbing1  patting1 c2 because
 from the rubbed ,tube ,i can sometimes 
procure five  or six ,flashes from      
different ,parts1 as though the ,tube of
 two ,foot  long1 instead of being one  
continued ,cylinder1 consisted of five  
or six  separate ,segments of           
,cylinders1 each of which gave out its  
,electricity  at a different ,explosion4
    ,,the ,knowledge of this ,theorem is
 of the utmost ,consequence towards the 
,success of electrical ,experiments2    
inasmuch as you must endeavour by all   
possible ,means to collect the ,whole of
 this ,fire at the same ,time4          
,professor ,hollman seems to have       
endeavour'd at this and succeeded1 by   
having a tin ,tube1 in one ,end of which
 he put a great many ,threads1  whose   

,extremities touch'd the ,sphere when in
 ,motion1 and each ,thread  collected a 
,quantity of electrical ,fire1 the      
,whole of which center'd in  the tin    
,tube1 and went off at the other        
,extremity4 ,another ,thing to be       
observ'd1 is to endeavour to make the   
,flashes follow each other so fast1  as 
that a ,second may be visible before the
 ,first is extinguish'd4 ,when  you     
transmit the electrical ,fire along a   
,sword or other ,instrument1  whose     
,point is sharp1 it often appears as a  
,number of disseminated  ,sparks1 like  
wet ,gunpowder or ,wild-fire2 but if the
 ,instrument has no  ,point1 you        
generally perceive a pure bright ,flame1
 like what is vulgarly  call'd the      
,blue-ball1 which gives the ,appearance 
of ,stars to fired  ,rockets4    ,,the  
following is the ,method ,i made use of 
and was happy enough to  succeed in4 ,i 
suspended a ,poker in silk ,lines2 at   
the ,handle of which ,i  hung several   
little ,bundles of white ,thread1 the   

,extremities of which  were about a     
,foot at right ,angles from the ,poker4 
,among these ,threads1  which were all  
attracted by the rubbed ,tube1 ,i       
excited the greatest  electrical ,fire  
,i was capable1 whilst an ,assistant    
near the ,end of the  ,poker held in his
 ,hand a ,spoon1 in which were the warm 
,spirits4 ,thus the  ,thread            
communicated the ,electricity to the    
,poker1 and the ,spirit was  fired at   
the other ,end4 ,it must be observ'd in 
this ,experiment1 that the  ,spoon with 
the ,spirit must not touch the ,poker2  
if it does1 the  ,electricity without   
any flashing is communicated to the     
,spoon1 and to  the ,assistant in whose 
,hand it is held1 and so is lost in the 
,floor4    ,by these ,means1 ,i fired   
several ,times not only the therial     
,liquor or  ,phlogiston of ,frobenius   
and rectified ,spirit of ,wine1 but even
 common  proof ,spirit4 ,these          
,experiments1 as ,i before observ'd1    
were made last  ,friday ,night1 the ,air

 being perfectly dry4 ,sunday proved wet
 and  ,monday somewhat warm1 so that the
 ,air was full of ,vapour2 ,wind        
,south-,west and cloudy4 ,under these   
,disadvantages1 on ,monday ,night ,i    
attempted again my ,experiments2 they   
succeeded1 but with infinitely more     
,labour than the preceeding1 because of 
the ,unfitness of the ,evening for  such
 ,trials4 ,your ,candour will not permit
 you to think my ,minuteness  trivial1  
with ,regard to the ,circumstances of   
the ,weather1 who know1 how  many       
,things must concur to make these       
,experiments succeed4 ,i shall wait     
with ,impatience for a proper           
,opportunity to have these ,experiments 
repeated in your ,presence1 and am1 with
 the utmost ,respect1                   
,sir1 your most obedient1               
humble ,servant1                        
,w4 ,,watson4                           
,aldersgate-,street1                    
,march #bg4 #agdf4                      
,,to ,,the                              

,,royal ,,society4        ,,gentlemen1  
,i lately acquainted you1 that ,i had   
been able to fire ,spirit of ,wine1     
,phlogiston of ,frobenius1 and common   
proof ,spirit1 by the ,power of         
,electricity4 ,since which 7till        
,yesterday7 we have had but one very dry
  fine ,day2 viz4 ,monday1 ,april #ae4  
,wind ,e4 ,n4 ,e42 when about four      
o',clock in the ,afternoon1 ,i got my   
,apparatus ready1 and fired the  ,spirit
 of ,wine four ,times from the ,poker as
 before1 three ,times from the  ,finger 
of a ,person electrified1 standing upon 
a ,cake of ,wax1 and once  from the     
,finger of a second ,person standing    
upon ,wax1 communicating with  the first
 by means of a walking ,cane held       
between their ,arms extended4  ,the     
horizontal ,distance in this ,case      
between the glass ,tube and the  ,spirit
 was at least ten ,feet4    ,,you all   
know1 that there is the repulsive ,power
 of ,electricity1 as well  as the       
attractive2 inasmuch as you are able1   

when a ,feather or such-like  light     
,substance is replete with ,electricity1
 to drive it about a ,room1  which ,way 
you please4 ,this repulsive ,power      
continues1 until either the  ,tube loses
 its excited ,force1 or the ,feather    
attracts the ,moisture from  the ,air1  
or comes near to some non-electric      
,substance2 if so1 the  ,feather is     
attracted by1 and its ,electricity lost 
in1 whatever  ,non-,electric it comes   
near4 ,in electrified ,bodies1 you see a
 perpetual  ,endeavour to get rid of    
their ,electricity4 ,this induced me to 
make the  following ,experiment4 ,i     
placed a ,man upon a ,cake of ,wax1 who 
held in one  of his ,hands a ,spoon with
 the warm ,spirits1 and in the other a  
,poker  with the ,thread4 ,i rubbed the 
,tube amongst the ,thread1 and          
electrified  him as before4 ,i then     
ordered a ,person not electrified to    
bring his  ,finger near the ,middle of  
the ,spoon2 upon which1 the ,flash from 
the  ,spoon and ,spirit was violent     

enough to fire the ,spirit4 ,this       
,experiment  ,i then repeated three     
,times4 ,in this ,method1 the ,person by
 whose ,finger  the ,spirit of ,wine is 
fired1 feels the ,stroke much more      
violent1 than  when the electrical ,fire
 goes from him to the ,spoon4 ,this     
,method for the  ,sake of ,distinction1 
we will call the repulsive ,power of    
,electricity4    ,,the late ,dr4        
,desaguliers has observed in his        
excellent ,dissertation  concerning     
,electricity1 ,that there is a ,sort of 
,capriciousness  attending these        
,experiments1 or something unaccountable
 in their  ,phnomena1 not to be reduced 
to any ,rule4 ,for sometimes an         
,experiment1  which has been made       
several ,times successively1 will all at
 once fail4  ,now ,i imagine that the   
greatest ,part1 if not the ,whole of    
this ,matter1  depends upon the         
,moisture or ,dryness of the ,air1 a    
sudden though slight  ,alteration in    
which1 perhaps not sufficient to be     

obvious to our  ,faculties1 may be      
perceived by the very subtle ,fire of   
,electricity4 ,for    #ast1 ,i          
,,conceive1 that the ,air itself 7as has
 been observed by ,dr4  ,desaguliers7 is
 an ,electric per se and of the vitreous
 ,kind2  therefore it repels the        
,electricity arising from the glass     
,tube1 and  disposes it to electrify    
whatever non-electrical ,bodies receive 
the  ,effluvia from the ,tube4          
#b;dly1 ,,that ,water is a              
non-,electric1 and of ,consequence a    
,conductor  of ,electricity2 this is    
exemplified by a ,jett of ,water being  
attracted  by the ,tube1 from either    
,electric's per se conducting           
,electricity1  and non-,electric's more 
readily when wetted2 but what is more to
 my  present ,purpose1 is1 that if you  
only blow through a dry glass ,tube1 the
  ,moisture from your ,breath will cause
 that ,tube to be a ,conductor of       
,electricity4    ,,these being premised2
 in proportion as the ,air is replete   

with watery  ,vapours1 the ,electricity 
arising from the ,tube1 instead of being
  conducted as proposed1 is1 by means of
 these ,vapours1 communicated to  the   
circum-ambient ,atmosphere and          
dissipated as fast as excited4    ,,this
 ,theory has been confirmed to me by    
divers ,experiments1 but by none  more  
remarkably than on the ,evening of the  
,day ,i made those  before-mention'd2   
when the ,vapours1 which in the         
,afternoon by the ,sun's  ,heat1 and a  
brisk ,gale were dissipated1 and the    
,air perfectly dry1  descended again in 
great ,plenty upon the ,absence of both1
 and the  ,evening was very damp4 ,for  
between seven and eight o',clock1 ,i    
attempted  again the same ,experiments  
in the same ,manner1 without being able 
to  make any of them succeed2 though all
 those mention'd in this ,paper with    
others of less ,note1 were made in ,half
 an ,hour's ,time4    ,i ,,am the more  
particular in this1 being willing to    
save the ,labour of  those1 who are     

desirous of making these ,kind of       
,trials2 for although  some of the      
lesser ,experiments may succeed almost  
at any ,time1 yet ,i  never could find  
that the more remarkable ones would     
succeed but in dry  ,weather4           
,i am1 ,gentlemen1                      
,your most obedient1                    
humble ,servant1                        
,w4 ,,watson4                           
,london1 ,april                         
#be4 #agde4    ,illustration            
,,to ,,the                              
,,royal ,,society4        ,,gentlemen1  
,,in some ,papers ,i lately did myself  
the ,honour to lay before you1 ,i       
acquainted you of some ,experiments in  
,electricity2 particularly ,i took      
notice of having been able to fire      
,spirit of ,wine by what ,i call'd the  
repulsive ,power thereof2 which ,i have 
not heard had been thought of by  any of
 those ,german ,gentlemen1 to whom the  
,world is obliged for many  surprizing  
,discoveries in this ,part of natural   

,philosophy4    ,,how far strictly      
speaking the ,spirit in this ,operation 
may be said to be  fired by the         
repulsive ,power of ,electricity1 or how
 far that ,power1  which repels light   
,substances when fully impregnated with 
,electricity1  fires the ,spirit1 may   
probably be the ,subject of a future    
,inquiry2 but  as ,i am unwilling to    
introduce more ,terms into any          
,demonstration than  what are absolutely
 necessary for the more ready           
,conception thereof1 and  as inflammable
 ,substances may be fired by            
,electricity two different  ,ways1 let  
the following ,definitions at present   
suffice of each of these  ,methods4     
,,but first give me ,leave to premise1  
that no inflammable ,substances will    
take fire1 when brought into or near the
 ,contact of ,electrics per se  excited 
to ,electricity4 ,this ,effect must be  
produced by non-electrical  ,substances 
impregnated with ,electricity received  
from the exciting  ,electrics per se4   

,but to return1    #ast1 ,i ,,suppose   
that inflammable ,substances are fired  
by the attractive  ,power of            
,electricity1 when this ,effect arises  
from their being brought  near excited  
non-,electrics4    #b;dly1 ,,that       
inflammable ,substances are fired by the
 repulsive ,power of  ,electricity2 when
 it happens1 that the inflammable       
,substances1 being  first electrified   
themselves1 are fired by being brought  
near  non-,electrics not excited4       
,,this ,matter will be better           
illustrated by an ,example4 ,suppose    
that  either a ,man standing upon a     
,cake of ,wax1 or a ,sword suspended in 
silk  ,lines are electrified1 and the   
,spirit1 being brought near them1 is    
fired1 this is said to be perform'd by  
the attractive ,power of  ,electricity4 
,but if the ,man electrified as before  
holds a ,spoon in his  ,hand containing 
the ,spirit1 or the same ,spoon and     
,spirit are placed upon  the ,sword1 and
 a ,person not electrified applies his  

,finger near the  ,spoon1 and the       
,spirit is fired from the ,flame arising
 from the ,spoon and  ,spirit upon such 
,application2 this ,i call being fired  
by the repulsive  ,power4 ,of the two   
mention'd ,kinds ,i generally find the  
repulsive ,power  strongest4    ,,since 
my last ,communication1 the ,spirit has 
been fired both by the  attractive and  
repulsive ,power through four ,persons  
standing upon  electrical ,cakes2 each  
communicating with the other either by  
the ,means  of a walking ,cane1 a       
,sword1 or any other non-electric       
,substance4 ,it has  likewise been fired
 from the ,handle of a ,sword held in   
the ,hand of a  third ,person4    ,i    
,,have not only fired ,frobenius's      
,phlogiston1 rectified-spirit and       
common proof-spirit1 but also ,sal      
volatile ,oleosum1 ,spirit of ,lavender1
  dulcified ,spirit of ,nitre1 ,peony   
,water1 ,daffy's ,elixir1 ,helvetius's  
,stiptic1 and some other ,mixtures where
 the ,spirit has been very  considerably

 diluted2 likewise distilled vegetable  
,oils1 such as that of  ,turpentine1    
,lemon1 ,orange ,peels and ,juniper1 and
 even those of them1  which are         
specifically heavier than ,water1 as    
,oil of ,sassafras2 also  resinous      
,substances1 such as ,balsam ,capivi and
 ,turpentine2 all which  send forth1    
when warmed1 an inflammable ,vapour4    
,but expressed vegetable  ,oils1 as     
those of ,olives1 ,linseed1 and         
,almonds1 as well as ,tallow1 all  whose
 ,vapours are uninflammable1 ,i have not
 been able yet to fire2 but  these      
indeed will not fire on the ,application
 of lighted ,paper4 ,besides1  if these 
last would fire with lighted ,paper1    
unless their ,vapours were  inflammable1
 ,i can scarce conceive they would fire 
by ,electricity2  because in firing     
,spirits1 c4 ,i always perceive that the
 ,electricity  snaps before it comes in 
,contact with their ,surfaces1 and      
therefore only  fires their inflammable 
,vapours4    ,,as an excited            

non-,electric emits almost all its      
,fire1 if once touch'd by  a            
non-,electric not excited1 ,i was       
desirous of being satisfy'd1 whether  or
 no the ,fire emitted would not be      
greater or less in proportion to the    
,volume of the electrified ,body4 ,in   
order to this ,i procur'd an ,iron ,bar 
about five ,feet long and near #agj     
,pounds in ,weight2 this ,i electrified 
lying on ,cakes of ,wax and ,rosin1 but 
observed the ,flashes arising  therefrom
 not more violent than those from a     
common ,poker4 ,in making  this         
,experiment1 being willing to try the   
repulsive ,force1 it once  happen'd that
 whilst the ,bar was at one ,end        
electrifying1 a ,spoon lay  upon the    
other1 and upon an ,assistant's pouring 
some warm ,spirit into  the ,spoon1 the 
electrical ,flash from the ,spoon       
snapped and fired the  first ,drop of   
the ,spirit1 which unexpectedly fired   
not only the whole  ,jett as it was     
pouring1 but kindled likewise the whole 

,quantity in the  ,pot1 in which ,i     
usually have it warm'd4    ,i ,,find1 in
 firing inflammable ,substances from the
 ,finger of a ,man  standing upon ,wax1 
that cteris paribus the ,success is more
 constant1  if the ,man instead of      
holding the ,thread 7the ,use of which  
,i  communicated in a former ,paper7 in 
his ,hand1 the ,thread is suspended at  
the ,end of an ,iron ,rod held in one   
,hand1 and he touches the ,spirit with  
one of the ,fingers of the other4       
,,if a ,man1 standing upon the          
electrical ,cake with a ,dish or deep   
,plate of  ,water in one ,hand1 and the 
,iron ,rod with the ,thread in the      
other1 is  made electrical2 and a       
,person not electrified touches any     
,part either of  the ,plate or ,water1  
the ,flashes of ,fire come out          
plentifully1 and  wherever you bring    
your ,finger very near1 the ,water rises
 up in a little  ,cone1 from the ,point 
of which the ,fire is produced1 and your
 ,finger1  though not in actual         

,contact1 is made wet4 ,the same        
,experiment succeeds  through three or  
more ,people4    ,,in firing inflammable
 ,substances1 the ,person who holds the 
,spoon in his  ,hand to receive the     
electrical ,flashes1 when the ,finger of
 the  electrified ,person is brought    
near thereto1 not only feels a tingling 
in  his ,hand1 but even a slight ,pain  
up to his ,elbow4 ,this is most         
perceptible in dry ,weather1 when the   
,electricity is very powerful4          
,,there is a considerable ,difficulty in
 firing ,electrics per se1 such as      
,turpentine1 and ,balsam ,capivi1 by the
 repulsive ,power of ,electricity2      
because in this ,case these ,substances 
will not permit the ,electricity to     
pass through them2 therefore when you   
would have this ,experiment  succeed1   
the ,finger of the ,person1 who is to   
fire them1 is to be applied  as near to 
the ,edge as possible of these          
,substances when warm'd in a  ,spoon1   
that the ,flashes from the ,spoon 7for  

these ,substances will emit  none7 may  
snap1 where they are spread the         
thinnest1 and then fire their           
,effluvia4 ,this ,experiment1 as well as
 several others1 serves to confute  that
 ,opinion1 which has prevail'd with     
many1 that the ,electricity floats  only
 upon the ,surfaces of ,bodies4    ,,if 
an electrical ,cake is dipp'd in ,water1
 it is thereby made a ,conductor  of    
,electricity1 the ,water hanging about  
it transmitting the electrical          
,effluvia in such a manner1 that a      
,person standing thereon can by no      
means be electrified enough to attract  
the leaf ,gold at the smallest          
,distance2 though the ,person standing  
upon the same ,cake when dry1  attracted
 a ,piece of fine ,thread hanging at the
 ,distance of two ,feet  from his       
,finger4 ,we must here observe that the 
,cake being of an unctuous  ,substance1 
the ,water will no where lie uniformly  
thereon1 but adhere in  separate        
,molecul2 so that in this ,instance the 

,electricity jumps from  one ,particle  
of ,water to another1 till the ,whole is
 dissipated4    ,,from the ,appearance  
of the ,threads amongst which ,i rub the
 ,tube1 ,i can  frequently judge1 though
 the ,spirit may be many ,feet distant  
from them1  whether or no it will fire2 
because when the ,persons standing upon 
the  ,wax are made electrical enough to 
fire the ,spirit1 the ,threads repel    
each other at their lower ,parts1 where 
they are not confin'd1 to a             
considerable ,distance1 and this        
,distance is in ,proportion as the      
,threads  are made electrical4    ,,if  
two ,persons stand upon electrical      
,cakes at about a ,yard's ,distance     
from each other1 one of which ,persons1 
for the ,sake of ,distinction1 we  will 
call ,a1 the other ,b3 ,if ,a when      
electrified touches ,b1 ,a loses  almost
 all his ,electricity at that ,touch    
only1 which is receiv'd by ,b  and      
stopp'd by the electrical ,cake2 if ,a  
is immediately electrified  again to the

 same ,degree as before and touches ,b1 
the ,snapping is less  upon the ,touch2 
and this ,snapping1 upon electrifying   
,a1 grows less and  less1 till ,b being 
impregnated with ,electricity1 though   
receiv'd at  ,intervals1 the ,snapping  
will no longer be sensible4    ,,that   
,glass will repel and not conduct the   
,electricity of ,glass1 has been        
mention'd by others1 who have treated of
 this ,subject2 but the  ,experiments to
 determine this ,matter must be         
conducted with a great deal  of         
,caution2 for unless the glass ,tube1   
intended to conduct the  ,electricity1  
be as warm as the external ,air1 it will
 seem to prove the  contrary1 unless in 
very dry ,places and ,seasons4 ,thus1 ,i
 sometimes have  brought a cold1 though 
dry1 ,glass ,tube near three ,feet long 
into a ,room1  where there has been a   
,number of ,people2 when upon placing   
the ,tube upon  ,silk ,lines1 and laying
 some ,leaf ,silver upon a ,card at one 
,end and  rubbing another ,glass ,tube  

at the other1 the ,silver has1 contrary 
to  ,expectation1 been thrown off as    
readily as from an ,iron ,rod4 ,at first
 ,i  was surpriz'd at this ,appearance1 
but then conjectur'd1 that it must      
arise from the ,coldness of the ,glass1 
condensing the floating ,vapour of  the 
,room2 in ,order then to obviate this1  
,i warm'd the ,tube sufficiently1  and  
this ,effect was no longer produced1 but
 the ,silver lay perfectly  still4      
,,if a ,number of ,pieces of finely spun
 ,glass cut to about an ,inch in        
,length1 little bits of fine ,wire of   
the same ,length of what ,metal you     
please1 and small ,cork ,balls1 are     
either put all together1 or each by     
themselves1 into a dry pewter ,plate1 or
 upon a ,piece of polish'd ,metal1  they
 make in the following ,manner a very   
odd and surprizing ,appearance4  ,let a 
,man1 standing upon electrical ,cakes1  
hold this ,plate in his ,hand  with the 
bits of ,glass1 ,wire1 c4 detached from 
each other1 as much as  conveniently may

 be2 when he is electrified1 let him    
cause a ,person  standing upon the      
,ground to bring another ,plate1 his    
,hand1 or any other  ,non-,electric1    
exactly over the ,plate containing these
 ,bodies4 ,when his  ,hand1 c4 is about 
eight ,inches over them1 let him bring  
it down  gently3 ,as it comes near1 in  
proportion to the ,strength of the      
,electricity1 he will observe the bits  
of ,glass first raise themselves        
upright2 and then1 if he brings his     
,hand nearer1 dart directly up and      
stick to it without snapping4 ,the bits 
of ,wire will fly up likewise1 and  as  
they come near the ,hand1 snap aloud2   
you feel a smart ,stroke1 and see  the  
,fire arising from them to the ,hand at 
every ,stroke2 each of these1  as soon  
as they have discharged their ,fire1    
falls down again upon the  ,plate4 ,the 
,cork ,balls also fly up1 and strike    
your ,hand1 but fall again  directly4   
,you have a constant ,succession of     
these ,appearances as long as  you      

continue to electrify the ,man1 in whose
 ,hand the ,plate is held2 but  if you  
touch any part either of the ,man or    
,plate1 the ,pieces of ,glass1  which   
before were upon their ,ends1           
immediately fall down4    ,,some few    
,years ago1 ,sir ,james ,lowther brought
 some ,bladders fill'd  with inflammable
 ,air1 collected from his ,coal-mines1  
to the ,royal  ,society4 ,this ,air     
flam'd upon a lighted ,candle being     
brought near it4  ,this ,inflammability 
has occasion'd many terrible ,accidents4
 ,mr4 ,maud1  a worthy ,member of this  
,society1 made at that ,time by ,art1   
and shew'd  the ,society1 ,air exactly  
of the same ,quality4 ,i was desirous of
 knowing  if this ,air would be kindled 
by electrical ,flashes4 ,i accordingly  
made  such ,air by putting an ,ounce of 
,filings of ,iron1 an ,ounce of ,oil of 
,vitriol and four ,ounces of ,water into
 a ,florence ,flask2 upon which an      
,ebullition ensued1 and the ,air1 which 
arose from these ,materials1 not  only  

fill'd three ,bladders1 but also1 upon  
the ,application of the ,finger  of an  
,electrified ,person1 took ,flame and   
burnt near the ,top and out of  the     
,neck of the ,flask a considerable      
,time4 ,when the ,flame is almost out1  
shake the ,flask and the ,flame revives4
 ,you must with your ,finger dipped  in 
,water1 moisten the ,mouth of the ,flask
 as fast as it is dried by the  ,heat   
within1 or the ,electricity will not    
fire it3 ,because the ,flask  being an  
,electric per se will not snap at the   
,application of the  ,finger1 without   
the ,glass being first made non-electric
 by wetting4 ,it  has sometimes         
happen'd1 if the ,finger has been       
applied before the  inflammable ,air has
 found a ready ,exit from the ,mouth of 
the ,flask1 that  the ,flash has fill'd 
the ,flask1 and gone off with an        
,explosion equal to  the firing of a    
large ,pistol1 and sometimes indeed it  
has burst the  ,flask4 ,the same ,effect
 is produced from the ,spirit of ,sea   

,salt1 as from  ,oil of ,vitriol2 but as
 the ,acid of ,sea ,salt is much lighter
 than that of  ,vitriol1 there is no    
,necessity to add the ,water in this    
,experiment4    ,,those who are not much
 acquainted with ,chemical ,philosophy1 
may think it  very extraordinary1 that  
from a ,mixture of cold ,substances1    
which both  conjunctly and separately   
are uninflammable1 this very inflammable
  ,vapour should be produced4 ,in order 
to solve this1 it may not be  improper  
to premise1 that ,iron is compounded of 
a ,metallic as well as a  sulphurous    
,part4 ,this ,sulphur is so fix'd1 that1
 after heating the ,iron  red hot1 and  
even melting it ever so often1 the      
,sulphur will not be  disengaged        
therefrom3 ,but upon the ,mixture of the
 ,vitriolic ,acid1 and by  the ,heat and
 ,ebullition which are almost instantly 
produced1 the  ,metallic ,part is       
dissolved1 and the ,sulphur1 which      
before was intimately  connected        
therewith1 being disengaged1 becomes    

volatile4 ,this ,heat and  ,ebullition  
continues 'till the ,vitriolic ,acid is 
perfectly saturated  with the ,metallic 
,part of the ,iron1 and the ,vapour once
 fired continues  to flame1 until this  
,saturation being effected1 no more of  
the ,sulphur  flies off4    ,i ,,have   
heretofore mentioned1 how considerably  
perfectly dry ,air conduces  to the     
,success of these ,experiments2 but we  
have been lately informed by  an        
,extract of a ,letter1 that ,abb ,nolet 
was of ,opinion1 that they  would       
succeed in wet ,weather1 provided the   
,tubes were made of ,glass1  tinged blue
 with ,zaffer4 ,i have procured ,tubes  
of this ,sort1 but1 after  giving them  
many candid ,trials1 ,i cannot think    
them equal to their  ,recommendation4 ,i
 first tried one of them in a smart     
,shower of ,rain  after a dry ,day1 when
 the ,drops were large1 and the ,spirit 
fired three  ,times in about four       
,minutes2 the same ,effect succeeded1   
under the same  ,circumstances1 from the

 white one2 but after three or four     
,hours  raining1 when the ,air was      
perfectly wet1 ,i never could make it   
succeed4  ,and to illustrate this       
,matter further1 ,i have been able when 
the ,weather  has been very dry1 with   
once rubbing my ,hand down this blue    
,tube1 and  applying it to the ,end of  
an ,iron ,rod six ,feet long1 to throw  
off  several ,pieces of ,leaf-,silver   
lying upon a ,card at the other ,end of 
this  ,rod1 whereas ,i never have been  
able to throw it off by any ,means in   
very  wet ,weather4 ,besides1 ,i am of  
,opinion1 that after the ,electrical    
,fire is  gone from the ,tube1 the ,tube
 has no ,share in the conducting of it2 
my  ,sentiments on that ,head ,i laid   
before you in a former ,paper3 ,for if  
the  ,silk ,lines are wetted1 they      
diffuse all the ,electricity1 and the   
same  ,effects happen when the ,air is  
wet1 be your ,glass of what ,colour it  
will4 ,it may not be improper here to   
observe1 that ,zaffer1 which is used  by

 the ,glass-makers and ,enamellers1 is  
made of ,cobalt or ,mundick  calcin'd   
after the subliming the ,flowers4 ,this 
being reduced to a very  fine ,powder1  
and mixt with twice or thrice its own   
,weight of finely  powdered ,flints1 is 
moisten'd with ,water and put up in     
,barrels1 in which  it soon runs into a 
hard ,mass and is call'd ,zaffer4    ,a 
,,dry ,sponge hanging by a ,pack-thread 
at the ,end of an electrified  ,sword1  
or from the ,hand of an electrified     
,man1 gives no ,signs of being  made    
electrical2 if it is well soak'd in     
,water1 wherever it is touched1  you    
both see and feel the electrical        
,sparks4 ,not only so1 but if it is  so 
full of ,water1 that it falls from the  
,sponge1 those ,drops in a dark  ,room1 
receiv'd upon your ,hand1 not only flash
 and snap1 but you perceive  a pricking 
,pain4 ,if you hold your ,hand1 or any  
non-electrical  ,substances1 very near1 
the ,water which had ceased dropping    
when the  ,sponge was not electrified1  

drops again upon its being electrified1 
and  the ,drops fall in ,proportion to  
the receiv'd ,electricity1 as though the
  ,sponge were gently squeez'd between  
your ,fingers4 ,i was desirous to know  
if ,i was able to electrify a ,drop of  
cold ,water1 dropping from the  ,sponge1
 enough to fire the ,spirit2 but after  
many unsuccessful ,trials1 ,i  was      
forced to desist2 because the cold      
,water dropping from the ,sponge  not   
only cool'd the ,spirit too much1 but   
also render'd it too weak2  likewise1   
every ,drop carried with it great ,part 
of the ,electricity from  the ,sponge4  
,i then consider'd1 in what ,manner1 ,i 
could give a ,tenacity  to the ,water1  
sufficient to make the ,drops hang a    
considerable ,time1 and  this ,i brought
 about by making a ,mucilage of the     
,seeds of ,fleawort4 ,a  wet ,sponge    
then1 squeez'd hard and fill'd with this
 cold ,mucilage1 was  held in the ,hand 
of an electrified ,man1 when the ,drops 
forced out by the  ,electricity1        

assisted by the ,tenacity of the        
,liquor1 hung some ,inches  from the    
,sponge1 and by a ,drop of this ,i fir'd
 not only the ,spirit of  ,wine1 but    
likewise the inflammable ,air before    
mentioned1 both with and  without the   
,explosion4 ,what an extraordinary      
,effect is this6 ,that a ,drop  of cold 
,water 7for the ,seeds contribute       
nothing but add ,consistence to  the    
,water7 should be the ,medium of ,fire  
and ,flame4    ,,camphor is a vegetable 
,resin1 and of ,consequence an ,electric
 per se4  ,this ,substance1             
notwithstanding its great               
,inflammability1 will not take  fire    
from the ,finger of a ,man or any other 
,body electrified1 though made  very    
warm and the ,vapours arise therefrom in
 great ,abundance4 ,because1  neither   
,electric's per se excited1 or          
electrified ,bodies1 exert their  ,force
 by snapping upon ,electric's per se1   
though not excited4 ,if you  break      
,camphor small and warm it in a ,spoon1 

it is not melted by ,heat  like other   
,resins2 but if that ,heat were         
continued it would all prove  volatile4 
,to ,camphor thus warm'd1 the ,finger of
 an electrified ,man1 a  ,sword or      
such-like1 will in snapping exert its   
,force upon the ,spoon1 and  the        
circum-ambient ,vapour of the ,camphor  
will be fired thereby1 and  light up the
 whole ,quantity exposed4 ,the same     
,experiment succeeds by the  repulsive  
,power of ,electricity4    ,a ,,poker   
thoroughly ignited put into ,spirit of  
,wine1 or into the  distilled ,oil of   
,vegetables1 produces no ,flame in      
either2 it indeed  occasions the        
,vapours to arise from the ,oil in great
 ,abundance4 ,but if  you electrify this
 heated ,poker1 the electrical ,flashes 
presently kindle  ,flame in either4 ,the
 ,experiment is the same with ,camphor4 
,these  ,experiments1 as well as the    
following1 sufficiently evince1 that the
  electrical ,fire is truly ,flame1 and 
that extreamly subtil4    ,i ,,have made

 several ,trials in order to fire       
,gunpowder alone1 which ,i  tried both  
warm and cold1 whole and powder'd1 but  
never could make it  succeed2 and this  
arises in part from its ,vapours not    
being inflammable1  and in part from its
 not being capable of being fir'd by    
,flame1 unless  the ,sulphur in the     
,composition is nearly in the ,state of 
,accension4 ,this  we see by putting    
,gunpowder into a ,spoon with rectified 
,spirit1 which1  when lighted1 will not 
fire the ,powder1 'till by the ,heat of 
the ,spoon  from the burning ,spirit1   
the ,sulphur is almost melted4          
,likewise1 if you  hold ,gunpowder      
ground very fine in a ,spoon over a     
lighted ,candle1 or any  other ,flame1  
as soon as the ,spoon is hot enough to  
melt the ,sulphur1 you  see a blue      
,flame1 and instantly the ,powder       
flashes off4 ,the same ,effects  are    
observ'd in the ,pulvis fulminans1      
compos'd of ,nitre1 ,sulphur1 and  fixed
 ,alkaline ,salt4 ,besides1 when the    

,gunpowder is very dry and ground  very 
fine1 it 7as you please to make the     
,experiment7 is either  attracted1 or   
repell'd2 so that in the first ,case1   
the ,end of your  ,finger when          
electrified1 shall be cover'd over with 
the ,powder1 though  held at some       
,distance2 and in the other1 if you     
electrify the ,powder1 it  will fly off 
at the ,approach of any non-electrified 
,substance1 and  sometimes even without 
it4 ,but ,i can at ,pleasure fire       
,gunpowder1 and  even discharge a       
,musket1 by the ,power of ,electricity1 
when the ,gunpowder  has been ground    
with a little ,camphor or with a few    
,drops of some  inflammable chemical    
,oil4 ,this ,oil somewhat moistens the  
,powder1 and  prevents its flying away2 
the ,gunpowder then being warm'd in a   
,spoon1  the electrical ,flashes fire   
the inflammable ,vapour1 which fires the
  ,gunpowder3 ,but the ,time between the
 ,vapour firing the ,powder is so       
short1 that frequently they appear as   

the same and not successive             
,operations1 wherein the ,gunpowder     
itself seems fired by the ,electricity2 
and indeed the first ,time this         
,experiment succeeded1 the ,flash was so
  sudden and unexpected1 that the ,hand 
of my ,assistant1 who touch'd the       
,spoon with his ,finger1 was            
considerably scorch'd4 ,so that there   
seems a  fourth ,ingredient necessary to
 make ,gunpowder readily take ,fire by  
,flame1 and that such a one1 as will    
heighten the ,inflammability of the     
,sulphur4 ,in common ,cases the lighted 
,match or the little ,portion of red    
hot ,glass1 which falls among the       
,powder1 and is the ,result of the      
,collision from the ,flint and ,steel1  
fires the ,charcoal and ,sulphur1 and   
these the ,nitre4 ,but if to these three
 ,ingredients you add a fourth1  viz4 a 
,vegetable chemical ,oil1 and gently    
warm this ,mixture1 the ,oil  by the    
,warmth mixes intimately with the       
,sulphur1 lowers its ,consistence1  and 

makes it readily take fire by ,flame4   
,in these ,operations1  notwithstanding 
,i always made use of the finest scented
 ,oils of ,orange  ,peel1 ,lemons1 and  
such like1 yet upon the least warming   
the ,mixture1 the  rank ,smell of       
,balsam 7i4 e4 the ready ,solution7 of  
,sulphur was very  obvious4    ,read    
before the ,r4 ,s4    ,oct4 #bd4 #agde4 
,a ,continuation of the ,above4         
,read1 ,feb4 #f4 #agde4    ,,as ,water  
is a non-electric1 and of ,consequence a
 ,conductor of  ,electricity1 ,i had    
,reason to believe that ,ice was endowed
 with the same  ,properties4 ,upon      
making the ,experiment ,i found my      
,conjectures not  without ,foundation2  
for upon electrifying a ,piece of ,ice1 
wherever the  ,ice was touched by a     
non-electric1 it flashed and snapped4 ,a
 ,piece of  ,ice also held in the ,hand 
of an electrified ,man1 as in the       
beforementioned ,processes1 fired warm  
,spirit1 chemical vegetable ,oils1      
,camphor1 and ,gunpowder prepared as    

before4 ,but here great ,care must be   
taken1 that by the ,warmth of the ,hand1
 or of the ,air in the ,room1 the  ,ice 
does not melt2 if so1 every ,drop of    
,water therefrom considerably           
diminishes the received ,electricity4   
,in ,order to obviate this1 ,i caused   
my ,assistant1 while he was             
electrifying1 to be continually wiping  
the  ,ice dry upon a ,napkin hung to the
 ,buttons of his ,coat1 and this being  
electrified as well as the ,ice1        
prevented any ,loss of the ,force of the
  ,electricity4 ,the ,experiment will   
succeed likewise1 if1 instead of the    
,ice1 you electrify the ,spirit1 c4 and 
bring the ,ice not electrified  near    
them4 ,i must observe1 that ,ice is not 
so ready a ,conductor of  ,electricity  
as ,water2 so that ,i very frequently   
have been disappointed  in endeavouring 
with it to fire inflammable ,substances1
 when it has been  readily done by a    
,sword or the ,finger of a ,man4    ,in 
the first ,paper#c ,i had the ,honour to

 lay before you upon this  ,subject1 ,i 
took ,notice of my having observed two  
different ,appearances  of the ,fire    
from electrified ,substances2 viz4 those
 large bright  ,flashes1 which may be   
procured from any ,part of electrified  
,bodies1 by  bringing a ,non-,electric  
unexcited near them1 and with which we  
have  fired all the inflammable         
,substances mentioned in the ,course of 
these  ,observations2 and those1 like   
the firing of wet ,gunpowder1 which are 
only perceptible at the ,points or      
,edges of excited ,non-electrics4 ,these
  last also appear different in ,colour 
and ,form according to the  ,substances 
from which they proceed3 ,for from      
polished ,bodies1 as the  ,point of a   
,sword1 a ,silver ,probe1 the ,points of
 ,scissors1 and the ,edges  of the      
,steel-bar made ,magnetical by the      
ingenious ,dr4 ,knight1 the  electrical 
,fire appears like a ,pencil of ,rays1  
agreeing in ,colour with  the ,fire from
 ,boyle's ,phosphorus2 but from         

unpolished ,bodies1 as the  ,end of a   
,poker1 a rusty ,nail or such-like1 the 
,rays are much more red4  ,the          
,difference of ,colour here1 ,i am of   
,opinion1 is owing rather to the        
different ,reflection of the electrical 
,fire from the ,surface of the ,body    
from which it is emitted1 than to any   
,difference in the ,fire itself4  ,these
 ,pencils of ,rays issue successively as
 long as the ,bodies1 from  which they  
proceed1 are exciting2 but they are     
longer and more  brilliant1 if you bring
 any ,non-,electric not excited near    
them1 though  it must not be close      
enough to make them snap4 ,if you hold  
your ,hand at  about two or three       
,inches ,distance from these ,points1   
you not only feel  successive ,blasts of
 ,wind from them1 but hear also a       
crackling ,noise4  ,where there are     
several ,points1 you observe at the same
 ,time several  ,pencils of ,rays4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,,it appears from ,experiments1 that    

besides the several ,properties1 that   
,electricity is possess'd of peculiar to
 itself1 it has some in common  with    
,magnetism and ,light4                  
,,proposition ,i4    ,,in common with   
,magnetism1 ,electricity counteracts1   
and in light  ,substances overcomes the 
,force of ,gravity4 ,like that          
extraordinary ,power  likewise1 it      
exerts its ,force in ,vacuo as          
powerfully as in open ,air1  and this   
,force is extended to a considerable    
,distance through various  ,substances  
of different ,textures and ,densities4  
,,corollary4    ,,gravity is the general
 ,endeavour and ,tendency of ,bodies    
towards the  ,center of the ,earth2 this
 is overcome by the ,magnet with ,regard
 to ,iron1  and by ,electricity with    
,regard to light ,substances both in its
  ,attraction and ,repulsion2 but ,i    
have never been able to discern that    
vortical ,motion1 by which this ,effect 
was said to be brought about by  the    
late ,dr4 ,desaguliers and others1      

having no other ,conception of its      
,manner of acting than as ,rays from a  
,center1 which indeed is confirmed  by  
several ,experiments4 ,one of which1    
very easy to be tried1 is1 that if  a   
single downy ,seed of ,cotton ,grass is 
dropped from a ,man's ,hand1 and in  its
 ,fall comes within the ,attraction of  
the rubbed ,tube2 the ,down of  this    
,seed1 which before seemed to stick     
together1 separates1 and forms  ,rays   
round the ,center of the ,seed3 ,or if  
you fasten many of these ,seeds  with   
,mucilage of ,gum ,arabic1 round a ,bit 
of ,stick1 the ,down of them when       
electrified1 which otherwise hangs from 
the ,stick1 is raised up1 and  forms a  
circular ,appearance round the ,stick4  
,as these light ,bodies are  directed in
 their ,motions1 only by the ,force     
impressed upon them1 and as  their      
,appearance is constantly radiatim1 such
 ,appearance by no ,means  squares with 
our ,idea of a ,vortex4 ,some have      
imagined a ,polarity also1  when they   

have observed one end of an excited     
,glass ,tube repel light  ,substances1  
and the other attract them4 ,but this   
,deception1 arising from  the whole     
,length of the ,tube not being excited1 
but only such ,part of it  as has been  
rubbed2 so that as much of the ,tube as 
is held in the ,hand1  remains in an    
unexcited ,state1 and permits light     
,substances to lie still  thereon1      
though forcibly repell'd at the other   
,end4 ,this attractive  ,power of       
,electricity acts not only upon         
,non-electrics1 as ,leaf-,gold1         
,silver1 ,thread1 and such like1 but    
also upon originally ,electrics1 as     
,silk1 dry ,feathers1 little ,pieces of 
,glass and ,resin2 it attracts all      
,bodies1 that are not of the same       
,standard of ,electricity1 7if ,i may be
  allowed the ,expression7 as the       
excited ,body from which it proceeds4 ,i
  have found no ,body however dense1    
whose ,pores are not pervious to        
,electricity by a proper ,management1   

not even ,gold itself4                  
,,proposition ,,ii4    ,,in common with 
,light1 ,electricity pervades ,glass1   
but suffers no  ,refraction therefrom2  
,i having from the most exact           
,observations found  its ,direction to  
be in right ,lines1 and that through    
,glasses of  different ,forms1 included 
one within the other1 and large ,spaces 
left  between each ,glass4              
,,corollary4    ,,this rectilineal      
,direction is observable only as far as 
the ,electricity  can penetrate through 
unexcited ,originally-electrics1 and    
those  perfectly dry2 nor is it at all  
material1 whether these ,substances are 
transparent1 as ,glass2 semidiaphanous1 
as ,porcelain or thin ,cakes of  white  
,wax2 or quite opake1 as thick woollen  
,cloth1 as well as woven ,silk  of      
various ,colours2 it is only necessary  
that they be  ,originally-electrics4    
,but the ,case is widely different with 
,regard to  ,non-electrics2 wherein the 
,direction1 given to the ,electricity by

 the  excited originally-electric1 is   
alter'd as soon as it touches the       
,surface of a ,non-electric1 and is     
propagated with a ,degree of ,swiftness 
scarcely to be measured in all possible 
,directions to impregnate the  whole    
,non-electric ,mass in ,contact with it1
 or nearly so1 however  different in    
itself1 and which must of ,necessity be 
terminated by an  originally ,electric1 
before the ,electricity exerts the least
 ,attraction1  and then this ,power is  
observed first at that ,part of the     
,non-electric  the most remote from the 
originally-electric4 ,thus for ,example1
 by an  excited ,tube held over it1     
,leaf ,gold will be attracted through   
,glass1  ,cloth1 c4 held horizontally in
 the ,hand of a ,man standing upon the  
,floor1 and this ,attraction is exerted 
to a considerable ,distance4 ,on the    
contrary1 the rubbed ,tube will not     
attract ,leaf ,gold or other light      
,bodies1 however near1 through ,silver1 
,tin1 the thinnest ,board1 ,paper1 or   

any other ,non-electric1 held in the    
,manner before-mentioned4 ,but if you   
rub the ,paper over with ,wax melted1   
and by that ,means introduce the        
originally-electric therein1 you observe
 the ,electricity acts in right  ,lines1
 and attracts powerfully4 ,and here ,i  
must beg ,leave to remind you1  not only
 of the former ,corollary1 but of some  
of the former ,experiments  also2 by    
which it appears1 that although1 to make
 a ,non-electric exert  any ,power1 we  
must excite the whole ,mass thereof1 yet
 we can excite what  ,part1 and what    
only1 of an originally-electric we      
please4 ,thus we  observe1 that         
,leaf-gold1 and the ,seed of            
,cotton-grass1 7which grows upon  ,boggs
 and is a very proper ,subject for these
 ,inquiries7 are attracted  under a     
,glass ,jar made warm#d1 and turned     
,bottom upwards1 upon which  are placed 
,books and several other ,non-electrics2
 and that the ,motions  of the light    
,bodies underneath correspond with the  

,motions of the ,glass  ,tube held over 
them1 the ,electricity seeming          
instantaneously to pass  through the    
,books and the ,glass4 ,but this does   
not happen1 till the  ,electricity has  
fully impregnated the ,non-electrics1   
which lie upon the  ,glass1 which       
received ,electricity is stopped by the 
,glass1 and then  these ,non-electrics  
dart their ,power directly through the  
upper ,part of  the ,glass after the    
,manner of ,originally-electrics4 ,but  
if the thinnest  ,non-electric1 even the
 finest ,paper1 as ,i before mentioned1 
is held in  the ,hand of a ,man at the  
smallest ,distance over the ,leaf-,gold1
 and the  ,electricity is not stopped1  
not the least ,power will be exerted1   
and the  ,gold will lie still4 ,i must  
here remark likewise1 that this ,law of 
,electricity is so constant and regular1
 that ,i have not found one  ,deviation 
from it2 so that even the ,quicksilver1 
spread thin as it  usually is at the    
,back of a ,plate of a ,looking-glass1  

will prevent the  passing through of the
 electrical ,attraction1 unless stopped 
by an  ,originally-electric4 ,this      
,penetration of the electrical ,power   
through  originally-electrics is much   
greater than has hitherto been imagined1
  and has caused the ,want of ,success  
to great ,numbers of ,experiments4 ,i   
have been at no small ,pains to         
determine1 how far this ,power can      
penetrate through a dry                 
,originally-electric2 and have found by 
repeated  ,trials1 that either in a     
,cake of ,wax alone1 or of ,wax and     
,resin mixed1  when the ,electricity is 
very powerful1 it has passed1 ,i say1 in
 straight  ,lines through these ,cakes  
of the ,thickness of #b ,inches and     
#d_/aj2 but ,i  never could make it act 
through one of #b ,inches #h_/aj1 for in
 this it was  perfectly stopped4 ,so    
that the ,cakes commonly made use of to 
stop the  ,electricity1 by being too    
thin1 suffer a considerable ,quantity of
 the  electrical ,power to pervade them1

 and be lost in the ,floor4 ,i make no  
,doubt1 if the electrical ,power could  
be more increased1 it would  penetrate  
much further through these              
,originally-electric ,bodies4           
,,proposition ,,iii4    ,,electricity1  
in common with ,light likewise1 when its
 ,forces are  collected and a proper    
,direction given thereto upon a proper  
,object1  produces ,fire and ,flame4    
,,corollary4    ,,the ,fire of          
,electricity 7as ,i have before         
observed7 is extremely  delicate1 and   
sets on ,fire1 as far as ,i have yet    
experienced1 only  inflammable ,vapours4
 ,nor is this ,flame at all heightned by
 being  superinduced upon an ,iron ,rod1
 red hot with coarser culinary ,fire1 as
 in  a preceeding ,experiment2 nor      
diminished by being directed upon cold  
,water4 ,however ,i was desirous of     
knowing1 if this ,flame would be        
effected by a still greater ,degree of  
,cold2 and in order to determine  this1 
,i made an artificial ,cold2 by which   

the ,mercury1 in a very nice            
,thermometer adjusted to ,fahrenheit's  
,scale1 was depressed in about #d       
,minutes from #ae ,degrees above the    
freezing ,point to #cj ,degrees below   
it1  that is1 the ,mercury fell #de     
,degrees4 ,from this cold ,mixture1 when
  electrified1 the ,flashes were as     
powerful and the ,stroke as smart as    
from the red hot ,iron4 ,i could have   
made the ,cold more intense1 but the    
above was sufficient for my ,purpose4   
,this ,experiment seems to indicate1    
that the ,fire of ,electricity is       
affected neither by the ,presence or    
,absence of other ,fire4 ,for as red hot
 ,iron1 by ,sir ,isaac ,newton's  ,scale
 of ,heat1 is fixed at #aib ,degrees1   
and as the ,ratio between ,sir  ,isaac's
 ,degrees and ,fahrenheit's is as #cd to
 #ahj1 it necessarily  follows1 that the
 ,difference of ,heat between the hot   
,iron and the cold  ,mixture is #ajdj   
,degrees2 and nevertheless this vast    
,difference makes no  ,alteration in the

 ,appearance of the electrical ,flame4  
,we find likewise1  that as the ,fire1  
arising from the ,refraction of the     
,rays of ,light by a  ,lens1 and brought
 to a ,focus1 is observed first at some 
small  ,distance from their ,surfaces1  
to set on ,fire combustible ,substances2
 the  same ,effect1 as ,i have before   
observ'd1 is produced in like ,manner by
  electrical ,flame4    ,i ,,may perhaps
 be thought too minute in some of the   
before-mentioned  ,particulars2 but in  
,inquiries abstruse as these are1 where 
we have so  little a priori to direct   
us1 the greatest ,attention must be had 
to  every ,circumstance1 if we are truly
 desirous of investigating the ,laws  of
 this surprizing ,power4 ,for1 as has   
been said upon another ,occasion by  my 
ever honoured ,friend ,,martin ,,folkes1
 ,esq2 our most worthy ,president1  that
 ,electricity seems to furnish an       
inexhaustible ,fund for ,inquiry2  and  
sure ,phnomena so various and so        
wonderful can arise only from  ,causes  

very general and extensive1 and such as 
must have been designed  by the         
,almighty ,author of ,nature for the    
,production of very great  ,effects1 and
 such as are of great ,moment to the    
,system of the ,universe4    ,,if these 
,observations receive the ,countenance  
of this learned ,society1 ,i  shall     
think myself sufficiently recompensed1  
and am1                                 
,gentlemen1 with the highest ,esteem1   
your most ,obedient                     
humble ,servant1                        
,w4 ,,watson4                           
,,finis4    -----    ,footnote #a3      
,dr4 ,gowin ,knight1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s4        
,footnote #b3      ,i call ,electrics   
per se or originally-electrics1 those   
,bodies1 in    which an attractive      
,power towards light ,substances is     
easily excited    by ,friction2 such as 
,glass1 ,amber1 ,sulphur1 ,sealing-wax1 
and most dry    ,parts of ,animals1 as  
,silk1 ,hair1 and such like4 ,i call    
,non-electrics    or ,conductors of     

,electricity1 those ,bodies1 in which   
the above    ,property is not at all or 
very slightly perceptible2 such as      
,wood1    ,animals living or dead1      
,metals and vegetable ,substances4 ,see 
,gray1    ,du ,fay1 ,desaguliers1       
,wheler1 in the ,philosophical          
,transactions4    ,footnote #c3         
,page #f4    ,footnote #d3      ,i have 
constantly observed1 that the electrical
 ,attraction through    ,glass is much  
more powerful1 when the ,glass is made  
warm1 than when    cold4 ,this ,effect  
may proceed from a two-fold ,cause3     
,first1 warm ,glass    does not condense
 the ,water from the ,air1 which makes  
the ,glass1 as    has been before#e     
demonstrated1 a ,conductor of           
,electricity3 secondly2    ,as heat     
enlarges the ,dimensions of all known   
,bodies1 and consequently    causes     
their constituent ,parts to recede from 
each other1 the    electrical ,effluvia1
 passing in straight ,lines1 find       
probably a more    ready ,passage       

through their ,pores4    ,footnote #e3  
,page #ac4                              
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,transcriber's note3        ,all        
footnotes moved to the end of the text4 
,page #e1 ',contract' changed to        
',contact1' the ,contact of             
,non-electrics444        ,page #f1      
',power' changed to ',poker1' ,i        
suspended a ,poker in silk      ,lines2 
,page #g1 second 'it' struck1 if it     
does444        ,page #i1 'o',clock'     
rejoined4        ,page #i1 period added 
to ',e4 ,n4 ,e4'        ,page #bb1      
'erectified' changed to 'electrified1'  
and a ,person not      electrified444   
,page #di1 'it' changed to 'itself1' not
 even ,gold itself4