AERIAL COLUMN- AND AERIAL ELECTi'.OSCOPR. ^1 



during already two years that it has been constructed : but the 

 frequency of its sinkings: is also very vr'.rious ; for I have ob- 

 served at times forty-five in a minute; but passing at other 

 times by all the intermediate numbers dovvn to hardly one. 



26. In this state I must leave this pursuit, on account of ray Mr.B M. For> 

 age; but I have learnt, with great pleasure, tl^at Mr. B. M. J^"^' ;""^™; 

 Forster is employed in constructing also z column vj\\\\ /a/-^'e apparatus. 

 plates and a pendulum ; and that his nephew, Mr. T. 

 Forster takes great notice of the connexions of this phsenomena 

 with various circumstances in the appearances of the air, and 

 with diseases. This, in time, may lead to some useful dis- 

 covery, both for science and for society. 



27- This new electrical phaenomenon, so connected with tho 

 state of the air which surrounds us, cannot but interest many 

 natural philosophers, were it only with respect to meteorology : 

 it is a new thread leading in the maze of atmospheric phseno- 

 mena, provided it is not associated with gratuitous hypotheses. 

 This, Sir, has been the object of the Illd part of ray paper on 

 the electric column, contained in your No. 124, for December, 

 1810; in which part I have given an abstractof some other 

 threads obtained in the atmospheric phsenomena, considered 

 both in themselves, and in their relation with those exhibited 

 by the spontaneous appearances and disappearances of the 

 electric fluid ; especially in the great phaenomenon of lightning 

 and thunder. Mr. Hausemann, of whom I have spoken above 

 in a note, having had the opportunity of observing the different ^^^^^^ ^i^^ oj,. 

 motions of my pendulum, and persuaded -that they must have serving with 

 some connection with the atmospheric phaenomena, has con- °"^' 

 structed the same apparatus with large plates, and begun regular 

 observations. 



28. I stop here on this interesting subject, having, I think, 

 recalled it sufficiently to show, that Dr. Maycock had not 

 embraced, or considered with attention, all the branches of ex- 

 perimental philosophy connected with the determination of the 

 nature and functions of a ^^^^VZ influencing almost all the atmo- 

 spheric phaenomena. But in a future paper I shall treat of 

 another part of the same subject, by coming to the idea Dr. 

 Mayccck has conceived of the effect of friction, to produce 



electrical 



