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left the paper bare for a little fpace, in an oblong 
form, rounded at the ends ; in which, at the diflance 
of about a quarter of an inch from each other, ap- 
peared two points, one of them a little round hole, 
the other only an indent or impreffion, fuch as might 
have been made by the point of a bodkin. In the 
leaf, which fronted the gilding, two fuch points 
like wife appeared, correfponding to thofe above-men- 
tioned ; fo that the hole in the one was oppofite to 
the impreffion in the other, but furrounded with 
little black or blueiffi circles. When the hole, which 
had been ftruck in the quire, was traced from above 
down to the gilding (for the gilt paper happened to 
lie with its gilded fide uppermoft), it was found to 
terminate on the point in the gilt paper where the 
impreffion appeared, and there the impreffion pointed 
downwards. Again, when the hole in the lower 
part of the quire was traced from below upwards, it 
was found to terminate on the point in the leaf front- 
ing the gilding, where the impreffion was, and there 
the impreffion pointed upwards. The fadts above- 
mentioned feem to leave it without doubt, that the 
flroke had been given, at the fame inftant, upwards 
and downwards; but that the eledtrical power from 
above, and from below, had feized upon the gilding, 
diffipated part of it in vapour, and by that means be- 
come fo weak, that each of them could afterwards 
only make an impreffion upon the paper, marking 
the refpedtive directions of their courfe. 
I communicated thefe obfervations to Dr. Franklin; 
but as no conclufion can, with certainty, be drawn 
but from fadts, confirmed by repeated trials, I de- 
fired to have the fatisfadtion of making a few expe- 
riments 
9 
