C 2 33 ] 
the conductor may be large enough to convey to the 
ground, from the top, all the lightning that enters that 
part ; yet one fuch tmall conductor cannot be fup- 
pofed to exhauft thofe immenfe bodies lo quickly, as 
to disable them from ftriking at the fame time 
other buildings, or other parts of the fame build- 
ing. 
A wire, or very fmall rod of metal, does not feem 
to be a canal fufficiently large to conduit fo great a 
quantity of lightning to the earth ; efpecialjy when 
any part of it, or of the metal communicating with 
it, is enclofedin the hone work : in which cafe, the ap- 
plication of it would tend to increafe its bad effeits, 
by conducing it to parts of the building which it 
might otherwife not have reached. 
Dr. Franklyn, from obferving that the filleting of 
gold leaf on the cover of a book conducted the 
charge of five large jars, reafons that a wire will be 
fufficient to conduit the lightning from the higheft 
buildings to the earth. 
But it appears from an experiment of his own,, 
that a much larger body of metal, when inclofed 
between fmall plates of thick looking- glafs, is not 
fufficient to conduit a fifth part of fuch a charge, 
without being melted, and burftingto pieces the plates 
of glafs. 
And it is remarkable, that in thofe parts of the 
church where the effeits of the lightning are moft 
confpicuous, the iron was inclofed in a refilling fub- 
llance fimiiar to the glafs furrounding the gold leaf 
in that experiment. 
Wires, inliead of conducting the lightning, have 
frequently been melted by the explolion. So that, 
Vo l. LI vh FI h I think, 
