MMisceilanies. 399 
Warmest day 23d; coldest 15th. 
Highest degree $8; lowest 23, range 65. 
7th. Primrose in blossom. 8th. Dandelion and plumtree in 
blossom.. 9th. Cherry and shadbush in blossom. 12th. Snow 
squalls; 13th. and 14th ground covered with snow most of the time, 
—at times more than one inch in depth.—Surface of the earth much 
frozen. 
20th. Apples in blossom. 
23d. Violent wind with thunder and lightning at 5 o’clock in the 
P. M. 
20. Influence of Electricity on Capillary Attraction.” 
Extract of a letter from Jno. W. Draper to the editor, dated Christiansville, Meck- 
lenburg, Va., May 3lst, 1832. 
To Pror. Sintiman.—Sir—Without a personal acquaintance, 
I write to inform you of some scientific points of interest which have 
recently been made known in England, but which from the lateness 
of the discovery have not I believe been published in this coun- 
try. 
You will remember, that Laplace in his Theorie de l’action ca- 
pillaire in the supplement to the tenth book of the Mecanique Celeste 
(after shewing how the + or — action of the bounding meniscus of 
a liquid in a capillary tube determines its position therein) leaves the 
nature of the force of capillary attraction entirely out of the question ; 
the adhesion of plates of glass to the surface of liquids he allows to 
depend on the same cause. It was in investigating the latter phe- 
nomenon that the mystery of all these singular appearances was dis- 
covered. I will indicate, as succinctly as | can, the chain of rea- 
soning. 
If you place a dise of glass upon the surface of mercury and at- 
tempt to lift it, you will immediately be sensible of a strong attraction 
between them; the value of that attraction is measurable by the bal- 
ance. Whilst the glass is reposing on the mercury, if the latter is 
connected with a sensible gold leaf electrometer you will not find the 
smallest indication of developed electricity. But on separating them 
by means of a fibre of gum lac fastened to the back of the glass, the 
gold leaves, in a moment, diverge, and the glass disc is found to be 
electrified, oppositely, to an equal amount—place them in contact and 
all electrical signs vanish. 
