C 2°3 ] 
2. An Effay towards dif covering the Laws of 
Electricity, addreffed to the Royal Society. 
Read March great Difference I obferved in 
1747 the Sentiments of thofe ingeni- 
ous Gentlemen who have favoured us with their 
Difcoveries in Electricity, made me very defirous of 
finding out fome general Principles, by means of 
which I might be able to form a Judgment of the 
fcveral Hypothefes whereby they have endeavoured 
to account for the principal Th<£7iome7ia obfervable 
in thofe Experiments. In order to this I took 
a general Survey of all the more remarkable Ex- 
periments, and out of them made Choice of fucli 
as I judged were mod proper for my Purpofe ; 
and from thefe I deduced the general Prin- 
ciples hereafter mentioned. The Advantage I pro- 
mifed myfelf from this Method was, that the plainer 
and more fimple the Experiments were, which I 
made choice of, the lels liable I fhould be to naif- 
take in any Conclufions drawn from them ; and 
that every frefh Experiment, I could account for by 
them, would be an additional Proof in their Fa- 
vour ; and if my Attempt in explaining the following 
Experiments from thofe Principles fhould prove fa- 
tisfaCtory, the Truth of them would be thereby lo 
fully confirmed, that we might fafely rely on them 
in forming a Judgment of any of the Difcoveries al- 
ready made; and (how general foever they may feem 
to be) I doubt not but they will be found of Service 
in profecuting our future Inquiries on this Subjed. 
The Experiments from which I deduced thefe 
Principles were thefe which follow. 
D d 
E x p- 
