[ 696 ] 
by the Warmth of the Hand, or of the' Air in the 
Room, the Ice does not melt j if fo, every Drop of 
Water therefrom confiderably diminifhes the received 
Eledricity. The Experiment will fucceed likewife, 
if, inftead of the Ice, you eledrify the Spirit, &c. 
and bring the Ice not eledrified near them. I muft 
obferve, that Ice is not fo ready a Condudor of 
Eledricity as Water 5 fo that I very frequently have 
been difappointed in endeavouring with it to fire in- 
flammable Subflances, when it has been readily done 
by a Sword, or the Finger of a Man. 
In the firft Paper * I had the Honour to lay be- 
fore you upon this Subjed, I took notice of my 
having obferved two different Appearances of the 
Fire from eledrified Subflances 5 viz- thofe large 
bright Flafhes, which may be procured from any 
Part of eledrified Bodies, by bringing a Non-eledric 
unexcited near them, and with which we have fired 
all the inflammable Subflances mentioned in the 
Courfe of thefe Obfervations ; and thofe, like the 
firing of wet Gunpowder, which are only percepti- 
ble at the Points or Edges of excited Non-eledrics» 
Thefe laft alfo appear different in Colour and Form 
according to the Subflances from which they pro- 
ceed : For from polifhed Bodies, as the Point of a 
Sword, a Silver Probe, the Points of Sciffors, and 
the Edges of the Steel Bar made magnetical by the 
ingenious Dr. Knight , the eledrical Eire appears 
like a Pencil of Rays, agreeing in Colour with 
the Eire from Boyles Phofphorus 5 but from un- 
lived 
* Phi!. Tranf. VoL 43. Page 483. 
