[ '45 ] 



without any fuch reference. " "Without examining," fays Mr. Cavallo, 

 " the nature, the extent, and the laws of this property in bodies, 

 " it will be fufKcient for the prefent purpofe to obferve, that the 

 " fad is certainly fo ; for otherwife a body could not poflibly be 

 " eledlrified, or it would not remain eledlrified for a fingle moment." 

 From thefe principles thus affumed, Mr. Cavallo deduces the exift- 

 ence of atmofpheres of contrary eleftricity exifting in the air conti- 

 guous to the bodies ; and from the attracSlions which are thereby 

 occafioned he infers the apparent repulfion of the eledlrified 

 bodies. 



If thefe atmofpheres be conceived to be formed by the repulfivc 

 nature of the fluid, fome allowance fhould be made for the mutual 

 repulfion of the two redundant portions belonging to bodies pofi- 

 tively eledlrified. This however feems to be negleded for the 

 purpofe of explaining the repulfion of bodies negatively eledlrified. 

 But the difficulty feems to be only changed. If the negative at- 

 mofphere adjacent to a body pofitively eledlrified be caufed by the 

 repulfion of the redundant fluid of the body, it will be necefliary 

 to fhew that this repulfion is overpowered by the attradtion fubfift- 

 ing between that redundant fluid and the portion of air thus de- 

 prived of a part of its eledlric fluid. 



But the reality of thefe atmofpheres of contrary eledlricity may 

 well be queftioned. It feems to require, that we fliould conceive 

 a portion of air contiguous to each body to be permanently, during 



Vol. VII. T the 



