570 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1732. 



ball at the end of the little rod was attractive, and at several removes, to the 

 height of 47 inches, there was a visible attraction of the pendulous thread. 



Oct. 6, instead of the small rod, he took a packthread about 4 feet long ; 

 and having tied silk threads to each end, by which the thread was suspended 

 over the longer line horizontally, and at right angles nearly to the said line, which 

 was by tying the ends to perpendicular lines of packthread fastened to hooks at 

 each end, and had sliding knots on them, so that the cross line might be moved 

 higher or lower occasionally : on one end of this line he put a ball of cork ; 

 and found that when the first line had been excited, the virtue was carried up 

 to the second line, and caused the cork ball to attract. He then took off the 

 cork ball, and put one of ivory in its place ; and this attracted after the same 

 manner. Afterwards he hung two ivory balls, one at each end of the line; 

 and found there was a sensible attraction when the line that supported them 

 was raised 38 inches above the line of communication. 



Oct. 30, he repeated this experiment: and now, when the line that sup- 

 ported the ivory balls was elevated about an inch above the communicating line, 

 either ball attracted the thread at the distance of more than its semi-diameter; 

 and at the height of 10 inches, at least half the same distance. 



By these experiments we find, that the electric virtue may not only be carried 

 from the tube by a rod or line to distant bodies, but that the same rod or line 

 will communicate that virtue to another rod or line at a distance from it, and by 

 that other rod or line the attractive force may be carried to other distant 

 bodies. 



A small hoop, of about 20 inches diameter, and an inch and a half in 

 breadth, suspended by two threads of silk, so that it hung perpendicular, and in 

 a plane at right angles to the horizontal line of communication, which passed 

 through, or at least very near the centre of the hoop, he went to the end of 

 the said line, and applying the excited tube near it, an attractive influence was 

 communicated to the hoop in all parts of it. Then by a screw-hole, made in 

 the side of the Imop for that purpose, he screwed it on the top of a pedestal 

 about 1\ feet in height, setting it on a cake of rosin, so that the beforemen- 

 tioned line might pass through the centre of the hoop ; and he found that 

 whether the hoop was placed so as its plane was at right angles, or in any other 

 angle with the line of communication, the hoop attracted after the same man- 

 ner as it had done when suspended on the silk lines. 



Some time after he made the following experiment. Into the nose of a glass 

 funnel he put the large end of the top of a small fishing-rod, and on the less 

 end a ball of cork ; then the funnel was set on the floor of the room, so as that 

 the rod was at some inches distance from the line of communication ; then the 



