[ 8 * ] 
cleCtrical fire palled 274 feet, before it reached it. 
This experiment was repeated feveral times, with 
this difference, that before every difcharge of the 
battery I Shortened the fine wire, till, at lafi, there 
was but half an inch of it connected with the 
274 feet of wire; but even that fhort piece was 
not made red hot by the difcharge of the 64 
jars. The electrical fire, in paffing that 274 feet 
of wire, though it was one entire piece without 
any joinings, feemed to meet with great refif- 
tance, for the explofion from the battery was not 
fo loud, as when a very fmall eleCtrical bottle is 
difcharged. Next, I took fome filver thread, and 
made a circuit, of 40 feet, from the infide of the 
battery to the outfide ; and, at the difiance of 
about 12 feet from the battery, I held the filver 
thread between my finger and thumb, fo that the 
eleCtrical fire, paffing along the thread, pafied 
between them ; on difcharging the battery, I re- 
ceived a fmart fhock,. particularly in both my 
ancles, though the thread was held three feet and 
a half from the dry floor, on which I flood : by 
the electrometer, the battery did not appear to 
be half difcharged. Then I made a circuit, of 
40 feet, with iron wire _? T th of an inch in dia- 
meter, 2nd this was held in the fame manner as 
the filver thread j on difcharging the battery 
through the iron wire, there was not the leaft 
fhock felt, though the whole of the battery was 
difcharged, the iron wire of that length concluded 
it fo perfectly. 
Then I tried the effeCt of the battery on fome 
platina^ which came from DoCtor Lewis, of King- 
ston; feveral of the grains, or lamirue , were laid 
on 
