of Rain at different Heights^ 125 



the lately difcovered mode of its defcent. And 

 in a Memoir,* written feme time ago, I endea- 

 voured to prove, that the electrical fluid is 

 ftrongly attraded by water j and that by deftroy- 

 ing the cohefion between its particles, and re- 

 pelling them from each other, it becomes a 

 powerful agent in evaporation, and in the for- 

 mation of clouds. Thus when two clouds, con- 

 taining different portions of eledlric fire, come 

 within the fphere of mutual attracftion, they wilJ 

 rufh together, and the eledrical fluid, being dif- 

 fufed through a larger fpace, the particles of 

 water will unite, and forming themfelves into 

 drops, a Ihower will be produced: that as the 

 ram defcends, through an atmofphere containino- 

 little eledric fire, it will be continually com- 

 municating iti the drops will coalefce more and 

 more together, by the progreflive diminution of 

 the power which counteracts their mutual at- 

 traftion ; and confcquently, in a given fpace, a 

 much larger quantity will fall near to, than at 

 a diftance from the furface of the earth. And, 

 laftiy, that to this eflreft the precipitation of the 

 vapours, contained in a diflJblvcd or difFufed 

 ftate, in the lower regions of the atmofphere will, 

 in fome degree, contribute : for it has been ob- 

 fcrved to be fair, upon the top of the Cathedral 



* See the author's Philofophical, Medical and Experi- 

 mental EfTays, vol. III. p, 112. 



at 



