454 APPENDIX 
though given with as much electricity as could be got into 
the phial. It then (having grown by degrees weaker and 
weaker) ceased to work entirely. Water was applied to 
the cushions, but without any effect: everything then was 
wiped and dried as well as could be done in our situation, 
the cushions being carried to the fire, but no electricity 
perceptible to the touch was communicated to the conductor. 
Whether any was excited on the surface of the plate we did 
not then observe. An amalgam of lead was then applied, 
causing a small amount of electricity, but much less than 
at first, and this very soon ceased also. From that time no 
electricity perceptible (except by Canton’s electrometer) could 
be communicated to the conductor, though the machine was 
worked nearly an hour. 
In the course of these experiments two things were 
observed, differing from the phenomena usually seen. First, 
the phial when filled with as much electricity as possible 
would not retain it more than a very few seconds, three or 
four by guess (for no opportunity of measuring by a watch 
was given, the machine stopping work without any warning) ; 
at the end of this time not the smallest quantity of electricity 
was left, though I tried all my five phials. Two of these phials 
were such as were described above; the others were smaller, 
made much in the same manner, but instead of being coated on 
the inside were filled with leaf-gold. Secondly, the floor of 
the cabin in which the experiments were tried was covered 
with a red floor-cloth of painted canvas that had been issued 
to the ship from His Majesty’s stores at Deptford. This 
was usually washed with salt water every morning and 
allowed to dry without being taken up. This proved as 
good a conductor of electricity as any we could make use 
of, so that a man standing on one side the machine and 
touching the coating of the phial was shocked by another 
who touched the conductor, without having any other 
communication with the first than by the floor-cloth under 
his feet. Dr. Solander and myself tried this in several ways, 
and made more experiments afterwards with Mr. Green’s 
machine, as noticed further on. 
