VOL. LXIV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 499 



numerable red-hot balls; on examining these balls, they were in general hollow, 

 and seemed to be nothing but scoria. Mr. N. has made a piece of the same 

 wire, of 47 inches long, red-hot, from end to end, so that it separated into 

 several pieces. After this, he took a piece of the fine iron wire before-men- 

 tioned, of 6 inches in length, and, to the end of it connected a piece of iron 

 wire ^ of an inch in diameter, and 48 feet long. Then, on discharging the 

 battery, the electrical fire from the inside passed immediately along the discharg- 

 ing rod to the fine wire, and afterwards had 48 feet to pass, to get to the outside 

 coating of the battery: he then laid another piece, so that the electrical fire 

 passed 48 feet, from the inside of the battery, before it came to the small wire; 

 and again another, so that the electrical fire passed from the inside of the bat- 

 tery 24 feet, before it came to the fine wire, and had 24 feet afterwards to pass, 

 before it could get to the outside coating of the battery; in each case, the 6 

 inches of the small wire was melted into red-hot balls; and he could not per- 

 ceive that there was the least difference in the melting of the wire, on its being 

 placed in dift^erent parts of the circuit. 



Next, he connected to a piece of the same fine iron wire, of 6 inches in 

 length, a piece of the iron wire -^ij- of an inch in diameter, and in one continued 

 piece of 274 feet in length. In this arrangement, when the battery was dis- 

 charged, the electrical fire passed immediately from the discharging rod to the 

 fine wire, and had 274 feet to pass afterwards, to get to the outside coating; 

 then the fine wire was laid next the outside coating of the battery, so that the 

 electrical fire passed 274 feet before it reached it. This experiment was repeated 

 several times, with this difference, that before every discharge of the battery, he 

 shortened the fine wire, till at last there was only half an inch of it connected 

 with the 274 feet of wire; but even that short piece was not made red-hot by 

 the discharge of the 64 jars. The electrical fire, in passing that 274 feet of wire, 

 though it was one entire piece without any joinings, seemed to meet with great 

 resistance, for the explosion from the battery was not so loud, as when a very 

 small electrical bottle is discharged. 



Next, he took, some silver thread, and made a circuit, of 40 feet, from the 

 inside of the battery to the outside; and at the distance of about 12 feet from 

 the battery, he held the silver thread between his finger and thumb, so that the 

 electrical fire, passing along the thread, passed between them ; on discharging 

 the battery, he received a smart shock, particularly in both his ancles, though 

 the thread was held 3-1- feet from the dry floor, on which he stood; by the elec- 

 trometer, the battery did not appear to be half discharged. He then made a 

 circuit, of 40 feet, with an iron wire -^ of an inch in diameter, and this was 

 held in the same manner as the silver thread: on discharging the battery through 



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