[ 77 ° ] 
great quantity of electricity, with which, from the 
vaflnefs of the caufe, the apparatus was replete, dis- 
charged itfelf through the Profeffor’s body, being 
the neareft rion-electric fubflance in contad with the 
floor, and was unfortunately the caufe of his death. 
This, it is prefumed, would not have happened, had 
the chain, or any other part of the apparatus, touched 
the floor, whereby the eledricity would have been 
readily communicated to the earth. 
Since the reading of the above to the Royal So- 
ciety,- a treatife in Latin, intituled, Oratio de Mete- 
oric vi eleBrica ortis , by Mr. Lomonofow, of the 
Royal Academy of Sciences at Peterfburg, has been 
tranfmitted to the Society. By this, among many 
other curious fads, we have been informed of cer- 
tain particulars in relation to the death of Profeflbr 
Richman ; of which the following may not be im- 
proper to be inferted here. 
Mr. Lomonofow obferves, that, with regard to 
the hidden death of the gentleman before-mentioned, 
the accounts, communicated to the public, contained 
ibme circumftances not fairly Rated, and others of 
fome importance were entirely omitted. With re- 
gard to the firft, it is inconteflably true, that the 
window, in the room where Profeflbr Richman was 
fa), had continued flint, that the wind might have 
no effed upon his eledrometer : but that the win- 
dow in the next room * (ef d g) was open, and 
the door [d), which was between thei'e two rooms, 
was half open ; fo that the draught of air might 
See Tab. XXXI. Fig. 2. 
I 
juflly 
* 
