[ 2 5 2 ] 
much greater degree : and in' general I have obferved, 
the more flow any bodies are to acquire eleCtricity, 
the more avaritious they are to keep it. 
Part of the plume of a feather, hanging to a green 
line of iilk about a foot long, which was lufpended 
from the midft of an horizontal line of the fame, 
about four yards in length, was eleCtrifed with a dry 
wine-glafs, according to the method of Mr. Eeles ; 
and, after being touched nine times with my finger, 
at the intervals of two feconds of time, ftill mani- 
fefted figns of electricity, by being attracted at the 
tenth approach of it. 
A cork ball, on the fame line and circumftances, 
after being eleCtrifed, was touched at the intervals of 
ten feconds repeatedly, for feven times, before it was 
exhaufted. The fumes of boiling water were con- 
veyed upon this ball after being eleCtrifed and, after 
a fumigation for thirty feconds, it fliewed figns of 
eleCtricity, by being attracted to the approaching 
finger ; and, after thirty feconds more, without any 
fumigation, it again obeyed the finger ; and again, 
after thirty more, but at lefs and lefs distances. The 
fame appearances occurred to me from the fumes of 
refin. From whence I apprehend, that Mr. Eeles, 
having dipped the eleCtrifed down of the juncus bow- 
bycinus in vapour for perhaps half a minute (for no 
time is mentioned), and finding it ftill retained its 
eleCtric attraction, was not aware, that this fame had 
happened, if he had by intervals touched it with his 
finger, or any other known conductor of eleCtricity. 
As Mr. Eeles had here objected, that there was 
no real oppofition in the eleCtric aether of glafs, and 
that from wax j the common experiment to fhew this. 
was 
