195 



"Jlie wearing flannel, even without its being 

 washed, will have' the same effect: as Hie etfluvi^ whi -h 

 .go off in perspiration, dissolve the sulpimr, and weaken 

 tiie spring of the air. 



A gentleman has lately made some curfons exp-: c- 

 titt'its on the eleclricity of hair. A lady had told niri?, 

 that on combing her hair in frosty weather, in (he dark, 

 she had sometimes observed sparks of fire to issue from 

 it. This made him think of attempting to collect the 

 electrical iire from hair alone, without the assistance of 

 any other electrical apparatus To this end, he desired 

 a young lady to stand on a case of bees wax, and to 

 corah her sisters hair, who was sitting on a chair before 

 livr. Soon a tier she began to comb, the young lady on 

 4he wax was greatly astonished to ivid her whole body 

 electrified, darting out sparks of iire against every ob- 

 ject that approached her. The hair was extremely elec- 

 trified and a fleeted an electremeter at a very great dis- 

 tance. He charged a metal conductor from it with 

 great ease; and in the space of a few minutes col- 

 letted as much fire from tier hair as to kindle common 

 spirits ; and by means of a small phial, gave many smaifc 

 shocks to all the company. 



Electricity will probably soon be considered as the 

 ..great vivyfying principle of nature, by which she carries 

 on most of her operations. It is a fifth element, dis- 

 tinct from, and of a superior nature to the other four, 

 which only compose the corporeal parts of matter: but 

 this subtle and active fluid is a kind of soul that per- 

 \'4ules and quickens every particle of it. When an equal 

 quantity of this is diffused through the air, and over the 

 tace of the earth, every thing continues calm and quiet ; 

 but if by any accident one part of matter has acquired 

 a greater quantity than another, the most dreadful conse- 

 quences often ensue before the equilibrium can be re- 

 stored. Nature seems to fall into convulsions, and 

 of her works are destroyed ; all the great pheuo- 

 V0L III* K 



