336 i'HILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1778. 



According to Dr. Franklin's idea, this event ought never to have happened; 

 because he says, that pointed conductors will draw all the lightning out of the 

 clouds, and carry it away into the earth silently. This philosophy I never had 

 any faith in, unless the quantity of lightning contained in the clouds happens to 

 be very little, and incapable of producing any fatal consequences. I have now 

 only to add, that I did not propose to have troubled this society any more, had 

 I not thought, on this great occasion, it was my duty to stand forth, and give 

 my opinion against the present report; as I know of no possible advantage to be 

 derived from such conductors; at least none that are consistent with true philo- 

 sophy, and a sincere regard to the welfare of society. 



June 19, 1777, B. Wilson. 



4. A Letter from the Board of Ordnance to Sir John Pringle, Bart., P. R. S., 



inclosing an Account of Mr. Wilsons Experiments on the Nature and Use of 



Conductors, addressed to his Majesty. 

 SIR, Office of Ordnance, Nov. 18, 1777. 



Mr. Wilson having laid before this board a copy of the report made by him to 

 his Majesty on some experiments in consequence of the accident by lightning, in 

 May last, to one of the buildings belonging to the royal magazine of gunpowder at 

 Purfleet: we beg leave to transmit to you a copy thereof, to be laid before the 

 R. s.; and, at the same time, we desire the favour of their instructions, if any 

 thing more can be done, in order to the preservation of his majesty's magazines. 

 We are, &c. Amherst, Charles Frederick, Charles Cocks. 



To the King. 



SIR, 



Your Majesty, in consequence of the accident from lightning that happened 

 to one of the buildings at Purfleet in May last, having been graciously pleased 

 to intimate the propriety of making some further experiments, to ascertain the 

 best method of preventing such accidents for the future; and having also con- 

 descended to be present at the exhibition of those experiments at the Pantheon; 

 I have presumed to address to your Majesty this faithful and circumstantial 

 account of what was there attempted, together with some observations there- 

 upon, as an humble testimony of my duty and gratitude for the great honour 

 conferred on me. How far I may have succeeded in these my zealous endea- 

 vours to ascertain the most proper construction for conductors is, with the 

 greatest deference, submitted to your majesty and the public. And whatever 

 consequences may be derived from these experiments, I am happy in the thought 

 of having done every thing in my power, with the utmost candour and impar- 

 tiality, to investigate truth, in a question of real advantage to science, and of 

 such importance to the public, as seems, in my humble opinion, worthy the 



