ELECTRIC PHANOMENA OF THE ATMOSPHERE. 407 
towards autumn, and such as took place after the heats of the 
month of May of the year 1841, we find these resinous transpa- 
rent clouds nearer the surface of the ground ; and hardly have 
the vapours slightly condensed into some opalescent strati, when 
already the resinous induction is felt on the surface of the ground 
itself, and reverses the sign of the electroscope. The storms 
which arise from these resinous clouds are always more unpleasant 
to our organization than other storms; we are charged with vi- 
treous electricity summoned by induction, and it radiates from 
all our extremities ; whilst in the normal state it is resinous elec- 
tricity which is summoned towards the head and towards the 
‘limbs we raise ; they are charged with a sufficient quantity of 
electricity of induction to make the electroscope which we ap- 
proach diverge. 
54, The semi-conductibility of the clouds gives them distinct 
atmospheres—an exterior and a great number of others interior ; 
all act at a distance like static tension, but on account of their 
semi-conductibility, all these tensions cannot unite in a simul- 
taneous discharge. When the exterior electric atmosphere has 
been removed by an instantaneous discharge, all the small masses 
or flakes of vapours which have their own atmospheres, can only 
supply gradually to the periphery what it has lost; in the same 
way the electric atmosphere of the flakes being diminished, can 
only be formed again gradually by means of a new supply 
arising from the insulated particles that have preserved a part 
of their electric atmosphere. Fixed and greatly elevated appa- 
ratus are well adapted to render manifest the partial exchanges 
which follow the exterior discharge of the cloud, principally the 
gold-leaf electroscope, a much more sensible instrument than 
the rheometers. The leaves are seen to start, to open or close 
suddenly, or strike the armatures without any explosion being 
heard. The discharge of the periphery occurs only subsequently 
to a certain number of these partial discharges, after which the 
exchanges of the interior re-commence. 
55. Much remains to be discovered respecting the distribu- 
tion of electricity in vapours, and principally respecting the part 
which it plays in their condensation, their agglomeration and 
their grouping. We should deviate too much from the limits 
of a memoir were we to enter upon this subject, which we re- 
serve for another work; we shall merely state that we have 
always observed that clouds strongly charged with resinous elec- 
