WATER'S P OU'T S. rol 
fouth, fo often as the above mentioned circumftances con= 
eur, though with fome interruption from the irregular dif- 
pofition of the conduéting vapors; and may not this occa- 
fion thofe gleams and ftreams with which this phenomenon 
is ufually attended? 
N° VII. 
Theory of Water Spouts, by ANDREW OLIVER, E/quirey, 
of Salem in the State of Maffachu/fetts. 
N my laft I took the liberty to communicate to the Phi- 
lofophical.Society a Theory of Lightening and Thunder 
Storms, which was fuggefted to my mind upon the peru- 
fal of doctor Prieftley’s hiftory of electricity. In the in= 
veftigation of which theory, while I was endeavouring to 
account for the exhibitions of thofe phenomena upon the 
ocean, at great diftances from the land, fome thoughts na- 
turally occurred relative to the water /pout ; a phenome- 
non as curious perhaps as any one in nature, and which 
can rarely take place but at fea. 
WATER spouts have by fome been fuppofed to be mere= 
ly eleGrical in their origin; particularly by fignior Beccaria, 
( Prieftley’s hift. of elect. p. 355, 356) who feems to have 
fupported his hypothefis by fome experiments. But as 
feveral fucceflive phenomena are neceflary to conftitute a 
complete water fpout, (fome of which undoubtedly de- 
pend upon the electric principle) if we attend tothe moft 
authentic defcriptions of thefe fpouts, through their vari- 
ous ftages, from their firft exhibition to their total diflipa- 
tion, we fhall be obliged to have recourfe to fome other 
principle, in order to obtain a complete folution. I fhall 
therefore, firfi, defcribe thefe phenomena according to the 
beft obfervations I have met with ;. and then, endeavour to 
give: 
