On Astro- atmospherical Science. 133 



respondcucc ; and I frankly acknowledge myself to be incompe- 

 tent to reply to all the objections which mav be offered. As on 

 every other subject, so on tld';, I hold myself ready to embrace 

 conviction, whether substantiating- or overthrowing a hypothesis 

 which I now believe to be founded on the established laws of 

 Nature, although long observation and accurate deduction may 

 be requisite to recover the knowdedge which has been lost. 



I cannot apprehend that any of your readers will take alarm 

 at an attempt to obtain for the doctrine of sidereal infiuences on 

 the atmosphere a fair investigation. The ignorant miglit su- 

 spect the subject of atmosplierical astrology to be somewhat al- 

 lied to MAGIC or NECROMANCY — the probability of such an error 

 I infer from having some years ago experienced the consequences 

 of ignorance respecting those imaginary phantoms imputed to 

 diabolical agency. 



A voung man bathing at EUingham in Norfolk was drovvned. 

 A female Samaritan, possessed of more information than her 

 neighbours, employed the means reco;r-niended by the Humane 

 Society; — but, amidst tiie rit/uv/ /e of the ignorant and the teri'or 

 of the superstiliom at her presumptuous attempt to animate the 

 dead, just as some signs of resuscitation appeared, sunk under 

 her fatigue, and the body became a corpse past all recovery, I 

 rode through the parish before the villagers had dispersed ; but 

 some hours having elapsed, I merely joined in the conversation 

 of the groups through which I passed, to the confusion of the in- 

 credulous, and in corroboration of the opinions of a few who had 

 arrived too late to contribute tlieir willing aid. About the same 

 time I was trving some electrical experiments on a young fowl 

 which I found as I :iupposed rhad in the yard more than an hour 

 before. My ol)ject was to notice the most ready passage for the 

 electric fluid. During the experiments I was surprised by some 

 signs of returning Hie, and persevered with different motives to 

 tliose at my comniencenient. Having applied many small shocks 

 through the brain, and lunncrnus sparks in various directions, I 

 placed it in a jar which I continued to su])p'y with a portion of 

 electric fluid insufficient to produce a spontaneous explosion. 

 I continued my varied processes about three quarters of an 

 liour, by whicii time it was so far recovered that weakness was 

 the only indication that it had ever ceased to manifest all the 

 signs of life. I electritied it at liberty the next nmrning, when 

 it llrd from the sparks with a^ much agility as any of the brood. 

 The fame of this occurrence was spread tiirougb a rustic neigh- 

 bourliood, amongst whom there were many not dtfident in 

 ignorance', and so foolish was the idea entertained by them, that, 

 wlicn a child a few days after fell into a small body of water, my 

 I ;{ readily- 



