[ 2°8 ] 
“ a ftormy cloud againft which it is diredted.*’ For 
his part, he confefles, that he cannot believe it ; firfl, 
becaufe he fees too great a difproportion between the 
effect and the caufe: fecondly, becaufe the principle, 
■which is given us to fupport this opinion, is not Suf- 
ficiently eftablifhed. He can hardly think, that the 
fulminating matter, contained in a cloud, capable of 
covering a great city, can be drawn off in a few mi- 
nutes by a pointed bar, as thick as your finger. If 
even a number of thefe placed upon the tops of emi- 
nencies were only neceffary to prevent the effects of 
thunder, would not the vanes and erodes at the tops 
of our fteeples have been fufficient to procure us this 
advantage ? Thefe buildings however, in all times, 
have not been exempted from the mifehiefs of thun- 
der. He defpairs of our weak efforts ever being able 
to difarm the heavens. 
Our author here gives us the reprefentation and 
defeription of his apparatus for eledtrifing during the 
thunder : it differs in nothing effential from thofe, 
which we ufed lad: year. 
In this letter are likewife confider’d the validity of 
Mr. Franklin’s hypothefis of eledtric and non-eledb ic 
clouds; the former arifing from the fea, the latter 
from the land ; their operation, upon their approach- 
ing one near the other ; the difference, according to 
Mr. Franklin, between eledtrical and common fire; 
and feveral other parts of Mr. Franklin’s dodtrine. 
The eighth letter is addreffed to our worthy brother 
Profeffor Jallabert of Geneva; and, among other 
curious particulars, inferts part of a letter, which our 
author had received from Mr. Jallabert, giving an 
2 account 
