[ 34 ° ] 
both upon artificial and natural eledtricity ; many of 
which are brought to prove the validity of the dodtrine 
of our worthy member Dr. Franklin, in oppofition 
to that of the Abbe Nollet. More particularly, he 
endeavours to confute the abbe’s opinion, in relation 
to the affluence of the eledfric matter, which the 
abbe has, by experiments and obfervations, ingenioufly 
endeavoured to confirm. Pere Beccaria’s obfervations 
upon natural eledtricity, and upon meteors, on which 
he h k as made a prodigious number of experiments, 
many of them of a delicate nature, do him a great 
deal of honour. 
The feventh letter, the ingenious author does me 
the honour to addrefs to me. In this letter, he, with 
juftice, laments the calamities of war ; more particu- 
larly, as it, in a great degree, prevents that corref- 
pondence between men of letters, which contributes 
fo much to their mutual fatisfadlion, and upon which 
the improvement of fcience fo much depends. The 
more particular purport of this letter, is to anfwer 
fome objedtions, which Mr. David Colden, of North 
America, publifhed againff the former letters of our 
author. 1 hefe relate more particularly to the im- 
permeability of glafs to the eledtric fluid, and to the 
explanation of the phenomena of the experiment of 
Leyden. Befides thefe, he gives us his idea of non- 
eledtrifed bodies eledfrifed plus, as he does not approve 
of the idea generally received of the accumulation of 
eledtricity. He mentions, that he has read Mr. Can- 
ton’s memoir relating to electricity, with his obfervations 
upo?j Jlormy clouds. He finds many curious fadts in that 
work ; but thinks them not fuffleient to make the 
dedudtions Mr. Canton has done, in favour of the 
dodfrine 
