Lesson xxn.] THUNDER 8c LIGHTNING. ' 137 



ductors receive or throw off the electric fluid more 

 readily than such as are terminated by flat surfaces. 

 Lightning takes the readiest and best conductor: 

 so does the electrical fluid. Lightning burns : so 

 does electricity. Lightning sometimes dissolves 

 metals : so does electricity. Lightning has been 

 often known to strike people blind : and pigeons 

 and other small birds have been struck blind by 

 electricity. Lightning sometimes destroys animal 

 life: animals have likewise been killed by elec- 

 tricity. 



But what demonstrates in the clearest manner 

 possible the identity of electrical fire with the mat- 

 ter of Lightning, is, that the Doctor, astonishing 

 as it must have appeared, contrived actually to 

 bring Lightning from the heavens by means of an 

 electrical kite, which he raised when a storm of 

 thunder was coming on. The same experiment 

 has been frequently repeated by other philosophers; 

 and it is to be lamented, that it was once attended 

 with fatal consequences : for the Allc Richman 

 was killed by a flash of Lightning which he drew 

 down from the clouds, in an experiment he was 

 making at Petersburgh. 



To know that Lightning and electric matter are 

 the same, is a great step in natural philosophy] 

 but so long as our acquaintance with the properties 

 of electricity continues so very imperfect as it yet 

 is, we must necessarily remain ignorant of the causes 

 of many of the appearances which accompany 

 Thunder-storms. However, we will now proceed 

 to give such an explanation of the phenomena, as 



the 



