[ *39 ] 
I fhall here infert what feems to afford a fuffF 
cient proof of the truth of this reafoning. 
Extract of a letter from Captain richard 
nairne, of the Generous Friends, dated 
Montreal, June 24, 1773, to Mr. thomas 
marsham, in the Borough. 
“ I fhall make every obfervation I can, for the 
<c good of eledricity, and the fatisfadion of my 
“ friend Mr. henley. I put up a longer top-' 
“ gallant- mail, the day I arrived at Quebeck. The 
“ condudor, by this means, became too fhort 5 
“ and my mate lfill let it hang, without making 
“ any addition to it. They had a fevere thunder 
“ ftorm that night ; but think how pleafed I was 
“ to find, that, from the wetnefs of the fhip’s 
“ fides, the eledricity pafled into the water, 
“ without the leaf! injury to the fhip ; but the 
“ fpark on the point of the condudor, which was 
* very fharp, was fo lucid, that my people were 
“ very much frightned.” 
Since I received this account of Mr. nairne’s 
obfervation, I have been favoured with the fol- 
lowing remark, by my ingenious and worthy 
friend, Lieutenant Fairlamb, of the Artillery ; 
who informs me, that the church of St. Mi- 
chael, in charles town, South Carolina, ufed 
to be flruck and damaged by lightning, in every 
two or three years from its firft eredion ; but 
in fourteen years, that it hath been furnifhed with 
a pointed condudor, it hath never been ftruck 
at all. It appears alfo, that when a ftroke of 
T 2 light- 
