454 APPENDIX 



though given with as much electricity as could be got into 

 the phial. It then (having grown by degrees weaker and 

 weaker) ceased to work entirely. Water was applied to 

 the cushions, but without any effect : everything then was 

 wiped and dried as well as could be done in our situation, 

 the cushions being carried to the fire, but no electricity 

 perceptible to the touch was communicated to the conductor. 

 Whether any was excited on the surface of the plate we did 

 not then observe. An amalgam of lead was then applied, 

 causing a small amount of electricity, but much less than 

 at first, and this very soon ceased also. From that time no 

 electricity perceptible (except by Canton's electrometer) could 

 be communicated to the conductor, though the machine was 

 worked nearly an hour. 



In the course of these experiments two things were 

 observed, differing from the phenomena usually seen. First, 

 the phial when filled with as much electricity as possible 

 would not retain it more than a very few seconds, three or 

 four by guess (for no opportunity of measuring by a watch 

 was given, the machine stopping work without any warning) ; 

 at the end of this time not the smallest quantity of electricity 

 was left, though I tried all my five phials. Two of these phials 

 were such as were described above ; the others were smaller, 

 made much in the same manner, but instead of being coated on 

 the inside were filled with leaf -gold. Secondly, the floor of 

 the cabin in which the experiments were tried was covered 

 with a red floor-cloth of painted canvas that had been issued 

 to the ship from His Majesty's stores at Deptford. This 

 was usually washed with salt water every morning and 

 allowed to dry without being taken up. This proved as 

 good a conductor of electricity as any we could make use 

 of, so that a man standing on one side the machine and 

 touching the coating of the phial was shocked by another 

 who touched the conductor, without having any other 

 communication with the first than by the floor-cloth under 

 his feet. Dr. Solander and myself tried this in several ways, 

 and made more experiments afterwards with Mr. Green's 

 machine, as noticed further on. 



