ELECTRICITY. 3(53 



jar, make the discharge ; and the electric matter, 

 rushing through the circuit from the positive to the 

 negative side of the jar, will pierce a hole, and fre- 

 quently more than one hole, quite through the 

 card, or cards, or quire of paper, &c. and each 

 hole will be found to have a bur raised on each 

 side, unless the card be pressed too hard against 

 the side of the jar. 



If the nose be immediately applied to the perfor- 

 ation, a smell somewhat like that of phosphorus 

 will be perceived. If, instead of paper, a very thin 

 plate of glass, or resin, or sealing-wax, be inter- 

 posed between the discharging-rod and the outside 

 coating of the jar, on making the discharge this 

 will be broken to pieces. 



To set Cotton on Fire. 



Take a wire of the size of a common knitting:- 

 needle, or larger, and, by means of any flexible 

 wire or chain, let one end of it communicate with 

 the outside coating of a jar, that contains at least 

 ten square inches of coated surface. Round the 

 other end of the first-mentioned wire, some cotton 

 must be twisted, so as to form a head round it, and 

 thus conceal the end of the wire. Roll this head 

 of cotton in powder of lycopodium, or in powder 

 of resin; this done, charge the jar, and bring the 

 cotton head rather quickly towards its knob ; by 

 which means the discharge will be made to pass 

 through the cotton, which will be instantly set on 

 fire. 



The Electrical Pistol. 



This curious apparatus is represented Plate 21. 

 rig. c 2. It is made of sheet-brass or tin. To the 



