VOL. XLVIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 525 



city from the globe, while you are taking ofF the electrical atmosphere with a 

 sharp point. Bring then a sharp point, either vertically or horizontally, or in 

 any other direction, within 1 feet of the prime conductor ; and the point, foi- 

 some time, will appear luminous. After that light disappears, advance the point 

 3 or 4 inches nearer to the conductor, and you will observe the same phenomena 

 as before ; and by advancing the point gradually in this manner, as the light on 

 it disappears, the point will be alternately luminous and dark, till you have taken 

 off the whole atmosphere in different laminae. As the point appears more and 

 more luminous, the nearer that it approaches the prime-conductor, the electrical 

 atmosphere may have different degrees of density, being perhaps denser near the 

 prime-conductor, and rarer at a greater distance from it. If a phial be charged 

 on the prime-conductor, when this experiment is made, the light on the sharp 

 point will be much greater, and continue longer. 



Query 3. — Did you make any trial, at what distance you could kill an animal 

 with a discharge of the electrical fluid from the key or the bottle suspended to it ? 

 Answer. — I have not hitherto had an opportunity of making any such experi- 

 ment with the kite. But as to the first, I apprehend, that no animal could be 

 killed bv the discharge of any quantity of electricity accumulated on the key ; as 

 the key in that experiment answers the same end as the prime-conductor, and, 

 like it, is capable of receiving only a certain charge of electricity, except the 

 lightning flows down the line too fast, or the kite be so near the cloud that it 

 may explode, when one standing on the ground approaches the key to draw 

 sparks from it : but such an explosion would probably be fatal to the operator. 

 When a phial is suspended to the key, after it has received its charge, if you let 

 it continue hanging on the key, the surcharge will fly off from the hook of the 

 phial, and the phial, when charged in that manner, will not give a greater shock 

 than if it had been charged in the common way with, the globe. 



LXXXIX. An Answer to Dr. Linings Query relating to the Death of Pro 

 fessor Richman. By Mr. William, /Vatson, F. R. S. p. 7^5. 



Dr. Lining's letter of the 14th of January 1/54, being communicated to the 

 Royal Society by Charles Pinckney, Esq. that learned body referred it to Mr. 

 Watson, one of their members, in order that the best information, that could 

 be procured on this subject, should be transmitted to Dr. Lining, for whose cor- 

 respondence the Society had for many years had a very particular attention. Mr. 

 Watson imagined, that it would be agreeable to Dr. Lining, as his abode is so 

 remote from Petersburg, where the accident happened, to have transmitted to 

 him not only the answer to what he more particularly requests, but also as 

 general an account of every thing relating to so nncommon an accident, as could 

 be procured. 



