ON LIGHTNING. J 



f ftiall be glad; and fhould the fubje^ meHt any o£ yout 

 queries, they will be received with pleafure by 

 Your humble fervant, 



JONATHAN WILSON. 



Remarks on the abote. 



THE firft part of Mr. Wilfon's letter countenances Dr. Wtethci- fairy- 

 Darwin's explanation of fairy-rings; for of all the thirties in- ^"^ be thus 

 eluded in the eledrified circle, thofe in the centre received 

 the leaft injury. The hypothefis of Dr. Darwin has'always 

 feemed to me to labour under unfurmountable difficulties ; and 

 this is the reafon why I point out a fa6l which eftablirties an 

 exaft agreement of the explanation, and natural appearances, 

 in one inftance. 



Fairy-rings are permanent objects, the nature of which is 

 but imperfedly underftood ; and it is to be wiibed that Mr* 

 Wilfon would find leifure to obferve land defcribe the future 

 confequences of theele^ric difchargeatBiddulph Hall. The 

 herbage of the ramified figure mentioned in the letter, will in 

 all likelihood die in the cuurfe of a few weeks ; becaufe plants 

 that have fuftained ftrong electrical lliocks, feldom furvive the 

 operation more than a month or two. Should this change take 

 place in the circle, it will give a new appearance to the furface 

 of the ground, by expofing to view the branched path of the 

 lightning ; nor is it improbable but that this alteration will be 

 fucceeded by another of a more fingular kind. There is rea* 

 fon to fufpe6t, that each ramification of the track will be again 

 covered with a lively verdure the next fpring, being accom- 

 panied at the fame time by a contiguous patch of blafted 

 herbage refembling its own figure. This fufpicion is counte- Compartfoh wi^ 



nanced by certain obfervations of Dr. Hutton of Edinburgh, ^J: *^"."on's 



, ,.,,/>.• A 1 . n obfervations of 



who remarked, that the rairy-nngs upon Arthur s beat annu- the fairy^rings 



ally increafe in diameter ; i. e, the withered circumference of °" Arthur's ' 



each circle becomes green in fpring, aiid is furrounded in a 



fliort time by a freOi ring of a ruflfet colour. We have no 



right to difpute the juftice of Dr. Hutton*s obfervations, but 



the queflion is undetermined, wiiefher the appearance is con* 



ftant, or refults from the nature of the foil. The peruGil of 



the foregoing remarks will perhaps admonifh my friend Mr. 



Wilfon, that Fortune has furniihed him with an opportunity 



B 2 ^£ 



