VOL. LIII.] I^HILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 703 



theleast. When it became almost cold, he could charge it as usual. Would 

 not this experiment convince the Abbe Nollet of his egregious mistake ? For, 

 while the electricity went fairly through the glass, as he contends it always does, 

 the glass could not be charged at all. 



Exp. 4. He took a slender piece of cedar, about 18 inches long, fixed a 

 brass cap in the middle, thrust a pin horizontally and at right angles, through 

 each end, (the points in contrary directions) and hung it, nicely balanced like 

 the needle of a compass, on a pin about 6 inches long, fixed in the centre of 

 an electric stand. Then electrizing the stand, he had the pleasure of seeing 

 what he expected ; the wooden needle turned round, carrying the pins with 

 their heads foremost. He then electrized the stand negatively, expecting the 

 needle to turn the contrary way ; but was extremely disappointed, for it went 

 still the same way as before. 



After the above experiments with the wooden needle, he formed a cross of 

 1 pieces of wood of equal length, intersecting each other at right angles in the 

 middle ; hung it, horizontally, on a central pin, and set a light horse, with his 

 rider, on each extremity ; on which the whole being nicely balanced, and each 

 courser urged on by an electrized point, instead of a pair of spurs, he was en- 

 tertained with an electrical horse-race. 



Exp. 5. Let a person in the negative state, out of doors, in the dark, when 

 the air is dry, hold, with his arm extended, a long sharp needle, pointing up- 

 wards ; and he will soon be convinced that electricity may be drawn out of the 

 air ; not very plentifully, for being a bad conductor, it seems loth to part with 

 it ; but yet some will evidently be collected. The air near the person's body 

 having less than its natural quantity, will have none to spare ; but, his arm 

 being extended as above, some will be collected from the remoter air, and will 

 appear luminous as it converges to the point of the needle. Let a person elec- 

 trized negatively present the point of a needle, horizontally, to a cork ball sus- 

 pended by silk, and the ball will be attracted towards the point, till it has parted 

 with so much of its natural quantity of electricity as to be in the negative state 

 in the same degree with the person who holds the needle : then it will recede 

 from the point ; being it seems attracted the contrary way by the electricity of 

 greater density in the air behind it. 



Exp. 6. He set the thermometer on an electric stand, and kept it well elec- 

 trized a considerable time ; but this produced no sensible effect. Which shows 

 that the electric fire, when in a state of rest, has no more heat than the air and 

 other matter in which it resides. 



Exp. 7. A large charge of electricity sent through wires in contact, even that 

 of a case of 35 bottles, containing above 30 square feet of coated glass, will 



