ON THE ELECTRIC COtUMN. . g43 



Lightning and thunder, when considered in their true thurxler and 

 nature, and with all their associated circumstaucesi, though Ightmng 

 they are the most striking, have remained till now the most 

 obscure of the atmospheric phenomena ; and as at the same 

 time their production is evidently connected with all the 

 causes acting in the atmosphere, that great laboratory of 

 nature on our globe, beginning from the very formation of 

 clouds, this obscurity is spread over all the terrestrial pheno- 

 mena. It is certain, by what I have above explained, that 

 an instant before a flash of lightning strikes our eyes, no 

 accumulation of electric fluid could hav^ existed in clouds 

 leaning against wet grounds: the sudden manifestation of 

 this enormous quantity of electric jiuid, not existing before ^-^^ conse- 

 as such, must therefore be the consequence of some c/ie»iica/queftceofs6m*? 

 operation, depending on some new cause, which either cewT"^^ ^^ 

 disengages it from some combination, or generates it by 

 some composition; and being thus instantly set free, it 

 rushes in a torrent, before it can be diffused in the cloud 

 and through this in the grottnd . Beside this immediate 

 consequence of the certain fact, that the quantity of electric 

 fluid thus emitted did not, the instant before, exist as dis- 

 engaged in the eloudi various other phenomena, attending 

 this effect, prove the existence of some great successive 

 chemical processes, manifested principally by the successive 

 detonations forming what is called the rolling of thunder: 

 these are undoubtedly produced by concomitant decomposi-* 

 ^io»^and re com positions of still unknown atmospheric fluids, 

 some producing the decomposition of the air itself, others 

 proceeding from this first operation> as shall be explained - 

 hereafter. 



This is one of the greatest objects, that could be offered to Necessity of 



the attention of natural philosophers : for it must stritce 'n^estigatmj 

 , , ^ , n • J atmosbheric 



them, that no system on the nature ot air ana toater can phenomena. 



have any solidity, if it happens to be in opposition to these 



grand effects produced, tinder our inspectiouj in the great 



laboratory of nature i and though oUr observation has nOt 



yet extended to all the atmospheric phenomena necessary to 



be embraced for the discovery of their specific causes, yet 



it is sufficiently advanced to indicate, accordincr to general ^ 



, , • , . . , , . . -Atmospheric 



fenort-n lawsy these decompositions and recofnpostttons o\ 2i^r not a mix- 



R 2 atmospheric ^^'^' 



