194 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1751. 



Now the globe being turned could draw no fire from the floor through the ma- 

 chine, the communication that way being cut off by the thick glass plate under 

 the cushion: it must then draw it through the chains, whose ends were dipped 

 in the oil of turpentine. And as the oil of turpentine, being in some degree an 

 electric per se, would not conduct what came up from the floor, the electricity 

 was obliged to jump from the end of one chain to the end of the other, which 

 he could see in large sparks ; and thus it had a fair opportunity of seizing of the 

 finest particles of the oil in its passage, and carrying them off" with it; but no 

 such effect followed, nor could he perceive the least difference in the smell of 

 the electrical effluvia thus collected, from what it had when collected otherwise; 

 nor does it otherwise afitct the body of the person electrified. He likewise put 

 into a phial, instead of water, a strong purging liquid, and then charged the 

 phial, and took repeated shocks from it; in which case every particle of the elec- 

 trical fluid must, before it went through his body, have first gone through the 

 liquid, when the phial is charging, and returned through it when discharging; 

 yet no other effect followed than if the phial had been charged with water. He 

 has also smelt the electrical fire, when drawn through gold, silver, copper, lead, 

 iron, wood, and the human body, and could perceive no difference; the odour 

 being always the same, where the spark does not burn what it strikes; and there- 

 fore he imagines, that it does not take that smell from any quality of the bodies 

 it passes through. 



Mr. Franklin, in a letter to Mr. Collinson some time since, mentioned his 

 intending to try the power of a very strong electrical shock on a turkey. He 

 accordingly has been so obliging as to send an account of it, which is to the 

 following purpose. He made first several experiments on fowls, and found, that 

 2 large thin glass jars gilt, holding each about 6 gallons, were sufficient, when 

 fully charged, to kill common hens outright; but the turkeys, though thrown 

 into violent convulsions, and then, lying as dead for some minutes, would re- 

 cover in less than a quarter of an hour. However, having added 3 other such 

 to the former 1, though not fully charged, he killed a turkey of about 10 lb. 

 weight, and believes that they would have killed a much larger. He conceited, 

 that the birds killed in this manner eat uncommonly tender. 



In making these experiments, he found that a man could, without great de- 

 triment, bear a much greater snock than he imagined; for he inadvertently re- 

 ceived tlie stroke of 2 of these jars through his arms and body, when they were 

 very near fully charged. It seemed to him an universal blow throughout the body 

 from head to foot, and was followed by a violent quick trembling in the trunk, 

 which went gradually off" in a few seconds. It was some minutes before he could 

 recollect his thoughts, so as to know what was the matter; for he did not see 

 the flash, though his eye was on the spot of the prime conductor, from whence 



