[ 8y ] 
EXP. V. 
Yet let a perfon in the negative date, out of doors 
in the dark, when the air is dry, hold, with his arm 
extended, a long fharp needle, pointing upwards; 
and he will foon be convinced, that elediricity may be 
drawn out of the air; not very plentifully, for, being 
a bad conductor, it feems loth to part with it ; but 
yet fome will evidently be collected. The air near 
the perfon’s body, having lefs than its natural quan- 
tity, will have none to fpare ; but, his arm being ex- 
tended as above, fome will be collected from the re- 
moter air, and will appear luminous as it converges 
to the point of the needle. 
Let a perfon eledtriled negatively prefent the point 
of a needle, horizontally, to a cork ball fufpended 
by filk, and the ball will be attradfed towards the 
point, till it has parted with fo much of its natural 
quantity of eledtricity as to be in the negative ftate, 
in the lame degree with the perfon who holds the 
needle : then it will recede from the point ; ' being, 
as I luppofe, attradted the contrary way by the elec- 
tricity of greater denfity in the air behind it. But, 
as this opinion feems to deviate from eledtrical ortho- 
doxy, I fhould be glad to fee thefe phenomena bet- 
ter accounted for by your fuperior and more pene- 
trating genius. 
Whether the eledtricity in the air, in clear dry 
weather, be of the fame denfity at the height of two 
or three hundred yards, as near the furface of the 
earth, may be latisfadlorily determined by your old 
experiment of the kite. 
E X P. 
