VOL. XXXVII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. '^^ 451 



he made use of a fire-shovel, tongs, iron-poker, a copper tea-kettle (which 

 succeeded the same, whether empty, or full of cold or hot water) and a silver 

 pint pot; all which were strongly electrical, attracting the leaf-brass to the 

 height of several inches. After he had found that the metals were thus elec- 

 trical, he went on to make trials on other bodies; as, flint-stone, sand-stone, 

 loadstone, bricks, tiles, chalk ; and^ then on several vegetable substances, as 

 well green as dry; and found that they had all of them an electric virtue com- 

 municated to them, either by being suspended on the tube by a line, or fixed 

 on the end of it by the method abovementioned. 



He next proceeded to try at what greater distances the electric virtue might 

 be carried; and having by him part of a hollow walking cane, which seemed to 

 be part of a fishing-rod, 1 feet 7 inches long; he cut the great end of it, to 

 fit it into the bore of the tube, into which it went about 5 inches; then when 

 the cane was put into the end of the tube, and this last excited, the cane drew 

 the leaf-brass to the height of more than 1 inches, as did also the ivory ball, 

 when fixed to the cork and stick at the end of the cane. A solid cane had the 

 same effect, when inserted in the tube after the same manner as the hollow one 

 had been. He then took the two upper joints of a large fishing-rod, the one 

 of Spanish cane, the other partly wood, and the upper end whale-bone, 

 which, together with the tube, made a length of more than 14 feet. On the 

 lesser end of the whale-bone was fixed a ball of cork, of about 1 inch and \ 

 in diameter; then the large end of the rod being inserted in the tube, the leaf- 

 brass laid on the table, and the tube excited, the ball attracted the leaf-brass 

 to the height of about 3 inches, by estimation. With several pieces of Spanish 

 cane and fir-sticks he afterwards made a rod, which together with the tube, 

 was somewhat more than ]8 feet long, which was the greatest length he could 

 conveniently use in his chamber, and he found the attraction very nearly, if 

 not altogether, as strong as when the ball was placed on shorter rods. 



May 14, 1729, between 6 and 7 o'clock in the evening, having procured a 

 rod of about 24 feet, that consisted of a fir-pole, of cane, and the top of reed, 

 on the end of which the ball of cork was placed, and the large end of the rod 

 put into the tube about 7 or 8 inches; then the leaf-brass being laid down, and 

 the tube rubbed, the ball attracted and repelled the leaf-brass with vigour: so 

 that it was not at all to be doubted, but with a longer pole the electricity would 

 have been carried much farther. 



May 16, he made a rod 32 feet long, including the tube; the larger part of 



it was a fir-stafF about 6 feet and a half long, the rest was of cane, and reed 



for the top part. All things being prepared as before, the effect was the same 



as in the last experiment; only the pole bending so much, and vibrating by 



3 M2 



