456 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1731. 



the same time, and may be conveyed to considerable distances. There were 

 made 3 stands, each composed of two upright pieces of fir, fixed perpendicular, 

 near the ends of a long square board, near a foot and a half distant from each 

 other. On the tops of these were tied threads of silk, to support the lines of 

 communication with the tube and attracting bodies. One of these stands was 

 placed in Mr. Wheler's great parlour, near the farther end; another in the little 

 parlour ; and a third in the hall, which was between the two parlours. As the 

 other two were one of them to the right, and the other to the left hand, this 

 last was placed near the hall-window forwards: the first two were about 50 feet; 

 the other about 20 feet from the place where the tube was held. Then there 

 were taken 3 small square pieces of wood, tied to 3 lines of packthread ; these 

 were about the lengths abovementioned : they were laid on the silk lines ; and 

 by loops at the other ends were suspended on the tube : then the leaf-brass be- 

 ing held under the pieces of wood, and the tube rubbed, they all attracted the 

 leaf-brass at the same time : and some time after in Mr. Gray's absence, Mr. 

 Wheler tried a red hot poker ; and found that the attraction was the same, as 

 when cold. He also suspended a live chick on the tube, by the legs, and found 

 that the breast of the chick was strongly electrical. 



At Mr. Godfrey's Mr. Gray made the following experiments, showing that 

 the electric virtue may be carried from the tube, without touching the line of 

 communication, by only being held near it. The first of these experiments was 

 made August 5, 1729. He took a piece of hair cloth, such as linen-cloths 

 are dried on, of about 1 1 feet in length; which, by a loop at the upper end was 

 suspended on a nail, driven into one of the rafters in the garret, and had at its 

 lower end a weight of 14 pounds, hung to it by an iron ring : then the leaf- 

 brass was laid under the weight, and the tube rubbed, and being held near the 

 line without touching it, the lead-weight attracted and repelled the leaf-brass 

 for several times together, to the height of at least 3, if not 4 inches. If the 

 tube were held 3 or 4 feet above the weight, there would be an attraction ; but 

 if it were held higher up, so as to be near the rafter, where the weight was sus- 

 pended by the hair-line, there would be no attraction. 



An experiment showing that the electric virtue may be carried several ways 

 at the same time, by a line of communication, without touching the said line. 

 — There were taken two hair-lines, between 4 and 5 feet long ; to each of these 

 was tied a square piece of cork, by packthread ; the lines were suspended by 

 loops at their upper ends on two nails ; near the lower ends there was tied to 

 the hair lines a piece of packthread, by which there was a communication be- 

 tween the two hair-lines ; then the leaf-brass being laid under the corks, and 

 the tube rubbed, and held near one of the lines, both the corks attracted : but 



