314 rHILOSOPHlCAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 173Q. 



outer receiver, the suspended thread manifestly made many vibrations corres- 

 ponding to the motions of the tube. 



Exper. A. — An electrical circular cake of bees- wax and rosin, 10 inches in 

 diameter, was placed horizontally on a tall glass receiver, near 3 feet high, 

 such as is made use of for dropping the feather and guinea. This cake being 

 the preceding evening about 8 o'clock, warmed with a hot iron held over it, and 

 then struck perpendicularly all over its surface with the hands in parallel direc- 

 tions, and so left covered with a thin pasteboard, was about 1 1 o'clock next 

 day at noon gently uncovered, and an ivory ball, about one inch and half di- 

 ameter, placed in the centre, a fine white thread about ten inches long, with a 

 small piece of cork, the size of a pin's head, at the end of it, being held be- 

 tween the finger and thumb, was gently let down on the vertex of the ball ; it 

 first flew off at some distance, and then made several pretty regular revolutions 

 from west to east about it, in the form of a circle. 



Exper. 5. — The ball was removed, and the cake again warmed and excited 

 as before ; after which the ball was replaced at a little distance from the centre, 

 nearer to Mr. Wheler ; the consequence of which was, that the pendulous 

 little body moved with a direct motion as before, but in an orbit that resembled 

 an ellipse, having the ball in one of its foci. 



Exper. 6. — Two bullets fixed on little stands of cork, about one quarter of an 

 inch high, were placed on the cake, each about an inch distant from its centre, 

 and in a line with the centre and Mr. Wheler ; the pendulous body described an 

 orbit resembling an ellipse, having the two bullets for its foci, and the motion 

 was direct from west to east. 



Exper. 7. — Instead of the cork, another pendulous body of a cylindrical form 

 was made use of, tied to a fine white thread, about 20 inches long ; the cylin- 

 der consisted of two circular bases of paper, half an inch diameter, but all cut 

 away except a ring and a small bar across the middle, through which basis 6 

 equal fine threads passed at equal distances from one another, knotted at the 

 lower base separately, and joined together in one knot at about half an inch 

 distance from the upper base, from which knot proceeded the long thread. 

 This body moved from west to east about the central ball, and at the same time 

 discovered a motion about its own axis in the SHnie direction ; but after 2 or 3 

 turns generally stopped, and turned the contrary way, which seemed to arise 

 from the untwisting of the thread. 



Exper. 8. — A thread about a foot long, was suspended from a horizontal line 

 of packthread, aod parallel to it an excited tube placed erect in a stand, the 

 thread approached the tube, and continued in a state of attraction. A thread of 



