[ 64 ] 
plofion, remained In the furrow, Alfo the fubdance , 
of the cork feeined to be (battered, and it was eafily 
rubbed off, a little way into it. 
I made this explofion on the furface of fome red 
wine, in a fmall difh, and kept a part of the fame 
quantity expofed in a fimilar manner} but I could 
perceive no difference between them after feveral 
days. 
The track of an eledfiical explofion on the furface 
of the cabbage-leaf, being fo well defined, fuggefted 
an experiment to afcertain whether there was any fen- 
fible momentum in the eledtric fluid, when it is rufh- 
ing with violence from one fide of a battery to the 
other. For this purpofe I made the explofion pafs 
over the leaves when they were cut in right and acute 
angles } fo that the fhortefl path, from the inflde to 
the outfide of the battery, was to turn clofe at the 
angle} and obferved that it was not diverted from its 
courfe, in the leafl; degree, by the rapidity of its own 
motion, but that it had turned exadlly at the angle, 
and kept as clofe to the oppofite fide, as if the motion 
had begun at the angle. The eledlric matter had, 
however, been evidently attraded by the veins of the 
cabbage-leaf, having purfued them a little way, at 
leafl: having fenfibly affeded them, wherever it met 
with them in its paffage. 
This experiment fuggefled another, intended to de- 
termine whether the force of an explofion was at all 
diminifl:ied by being diverted from a right-lined courfe, 
and made to turn in a great number of angles. To 
do this, I firfl: found, by a great number of trials, 
what length of a fmall iron wire I was able to melt 
with a battery of about twenty fquare feet, in the 
middle 
2 
