THOMAS ANDREW KNIGHT, ESQ. 37 



experiment with sprigs of mint, when I had the pleasure of 

 being at Pitmaston last. 



" I think some of the facts you mention, not being important, 

 had better be omitted ; for short papers, like short sermons to 

 most congregations, are more agreeable to the members of the 

 Royal Society, some of whom come there with rather a strong 

 propensity to fall asleep : there is also, among philosophers of 

 the present day, a belief that the electric fluid produced little 

 or no effect upon animal or vegetable life ; and to oppose this 

 belief strong facts, and those few in number, being most easily 

 remembered and weighed, act most powerfully ; and every fact 

 which is not really strongly in favour operates injuriously. 



" The winter has set in rather severely, notwithstanding the 

 dispersion of arctic ice ; but we must not decide, till we have 

 seen a few springs, upon its operation in chilling our climate. 



" Sincerely yours, 



"THOMAS A. KNIGHT." 



To THE SAME. 



" Downton, January 21, 1818. 

 " MY DEAR SlR, 



" I have been some time from home or I should have written 

 to you sooner upon the subject of your paper. I am myself 

 perfectly satisfied that your conclusions respecting the influence 

 of the voltaic battery upon plants are correct ; but the opposite 

 opinion that the electric fluid produces no effect upon vege- 

 table being, has got possession of the public mind, owing to 

 erroneous conclusions having been drawn by former writers, 

 who had imagined themselves to have witnessed the influence 

 of electricity to be great in promoting the growth of plants. 

 Your paper must therefore come before judges who have already 

 drawn conclusions in direct opposition to yours. My wishes rela- 

 tive to your paper can point to one object only, which is that of 

 doing you credit ; and I fear that unless strong evidence can be 

 made to meet the possibility of the operation of metallic oxydes, 

 Sir Joseph Banks would request you to delay its presentation to 



