VOL. XLlV.j PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 415 



There seems to be a quantity of this electrical aether in all bodies. And as. it 

 is an elastic fluids wherever there is an accumulation of it, there is an endeavour 

 by the nearest unexcited non-electric to restore the equilibrium. The restoring 

 of this equilibrium he takes to be the cause of the attraction of excited glass 

 tubes and globes, as well as that of excited non-electrics; for here the blast of 

 electrical aether constantly sets in from the nearest unexcited non-electrics towards 

 those excited, and carries with it whatever light bodies lie in its course. This 

 setting in of the current of electrical aether, towards excited non-electrics, is 

 likewise very perceptible to the feeling as a blast of cold wind; if when a person 

 is electrified, he hold his hand over a plate with some bran in it, by which blast 

 the bran is carried against his hand. These light substances are again repelled by 

 the blast from the excited bodies, as soon as they come in contact, and some- 

 times before. The successions of these alternate attractions and repulsions are 

 extremely quick, so that sometimes the eye can hardly keep pace with them. 

 And if you put a glass globe of about an inch in diameter, very light and finely 

 blown, into a plate of metal, and hang another plate over it; electrify the upper 

 one, and bring the other under it, and you will find the strokes from the alter- 

 nate attractions and repulsions almost too quick for the ear. There was a Ger- 

 man, who travelled with a small electrifying machine, who, by a process of this 

 sort, made two small bells ring. One of the bells was suspended to an electrified 

 wire, which was conducted without touching along the sides of the room; at 

 about an inch distance, detached from this wire, a little clapper was hung by a 

 silk line; at an equal distance from this last was hung another little bell, which 

 communicated with the sides of the room. As soon as the machine was in mo- 

 tion, the electrified bell attracted the clapper, which immediately by the repulsive 

 blast was blown off to the unexcited bell. By the time the 2nd bell was struck, 

 the former attracted again; and this jingling of the two bells continued not only 

 during the motion of the machine, but several seconds after it was stopped. This 

 was occasioned by the small volume of the clapper being able to convey away 

 only a small quantity of the electrical aether at each stroke; by which it was some 

 time before the equilibrium was restored. 



To demonstrate likewise, that the restoring this equilibrium is not imaginary, 

 Mr. W. mentions an experiment of a gentleman, Mr. Wilson, who has taken 

 great pains in these inquiries. Take two plates of any metal, very clean and dry, 

 whose surfaces are nearly equal ; hang one of them to any excited non-electric, 

 and bring under it on the other a whole leaf of silver. When you find on appli- 

 cation the silver leaf is attracted, lower the bottom plate; if it is too low, you 

 will observe the leaf silver jump up and down ; if too high, it will only be at- 

 tracted in part, and thus dissipate the electrical power. But if you get it at the 

 proper distance, which will very easily be found by trials, the silver will be per- 



