r 760 *] 
If three eleCtrifi d clouds (which we (hall call) 
A, By and C , pafs from weft to eaft, ai.d are fo 
fituated to one another, and to this town, tl .at the 
cloud B is not only in breadth and length equal to 
the area of the town, but vertical over it, having an 
electrical atmofphere, which reaches low enough to 
be aCted upon by fharp points, either raifed bv kites, 
or ereCted upon the houfes ; then the cloud B -may 
be fo far deprived of its electricity, before it has 
patted over the town, as to be incapable of giving 
any flafhes of lightning, till it meets with other lefs 
eleCtrihed clouds, and approaches very near them. 
But tire clouds A and C, being at too great a diftance, 
in their paflage by the town, to be aCted upon by 
thofe points, fly on in their eleCtrical ftate, till they 
meet with clouds, or other bodies, in a non- eleCtric 
ftate, or atleaft with thofe, which have a lefs degree of 
eleCtricity. If the cloud (fuppofe) A meets, or rather 
approaches afterwards near enough, the cloud B , 
which was deprived of great part of its eleCtricity, 
or any other non-eleCtric cloud, it will difcharge at 
once part of its eleCtricity into B , or the non-eleCtric 
cloud ; and if into the latter, which we flhall call 
JD, in that explolion, it will deliver fo much of its 
eleCtricity to JD, as will make an equilibrium in 
eleCtricity between them ; i. e . if A had 1 00 degrees 
of eleCtricity, and D only its natural quantity, after 
the explofion, each will have 50. Then D is in a 
condition to flafh into a non-eleCtric cloud ; but that 
explofion will be much weaker than that was from 
A j becaufe D , in exploding into a non-eleCtric 
cloud, will only part with one-half (if thofe two 
clouds are of equal dimenfions) j that is with 2f de- 
grees 
