[ *48 ] 
I cannot avoid taking notice, in this place, of 
fome appearances, upon the iron condudfors on 
St. Paul’s cathedral, fuppofed to have been the 
effedts of lightning ; of which an account hath 
been given to the Royal Society, by a very inge- 
nious and worthy member, of whole candor I 
would willingly think too highly, to fuppole he 
can be offended, if my opinion concerning thefe 
appearances fhouid be different from his. In the 
firlf place, had thofe bars been heated to a red heat 
fo inftantaneoufly, it feems probable, that the 
moifture in the flone, which almoft furrounds a 
conliderable length of them, at each end, where 
they are inferted in the pavement, would have 
been turned to fleam ; and, acting like gun- powder, 
would have exploded, and driven out the bars with 
great violence. Alio the leaden pipes, particularly 
the ends of them which are in contadt with the 
iron bars, muft have been much melted ; but thefe 
I carefully examined, and could not perceive, that 
they had been at all affedted. Secondly, the end of 
the iron bar, fuppofed to be the moft affedted, was. 
not in contadt with the lead-work below it, by 
near two inches; yet it had no appearance of 
fufion, as it certainly would have had, if fo large 
a quantity of electricity had palled through it; 
the ruft likewife, I think, would have been cleared 
away, which was not the cafe, and the end of 
it have been left quite bright. As to the hole 
through the dirt, mentioned by Mr. Gould, 
which lay adjoining to it; the dirt lying in a perpen- 
dicular diredtion, 1 am inclined to think, that the. 
rain-water had foaked through it,, and not wafhed 
