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petty in Glafs. And as it is fuch whereby vail; Num- 
bers, very likely, have been, and may hereafter be, 
greatly prejudiced, I defire you will mention what 
follows to the Royal Society > to the end that it may 
be publifhed, if they think proper, for the Benefit 
of others, and particularly of thofe who ufe the Sea. 
Having lately had Occafion to compare together two 
Compares of a different Make, the one having a bare 
Needle, as ufual, and the other a Chart, in the Man- 
ner that Mariners Compares are commonly made, I 
happened to wipe off with my Finger fome Dull, 
which lay upon the Clafs of the former 5 and thereby 
put the Needle, which was before at Reft, into a 
violent diforderly Motion, partly horizontal, and 
partly vertical or dipping. After feveral Repetitions 
of the fame Thing, I found that the Glafs, by fo 
flight a Touch, was at that time excited to Eledri- 
city, fo far as to difturb the Needle extremely. 
The fame Glafs being rubb’d a very little more with 
a Finger, a Bit of Muflin, or of Paper, would attrad 
either End of the Needle, fo as to hold it to the 
Glafs, for feveral Minutes, far out of the due Direc- 
tion, according to what Part of the Glafs was moft 
excited. 
And when the Needle has for fome time adhered to 
the Glafs, and afterwards dropt loofe, and made Vibra- 
tions, thofe Vibrations would not be biffeded, as ufual, 
by that Point where the Needle fhould reft, but either be 
made all on one Side, or be very unequally divided, by 
means of fome Remains of eledrical Virtue in that Part 
of the Glafs which had attraded the Needle ; until at 
length, after fifteen Minutes or more, all the Eledri- 
