[ 342 i 
pears, however, to have been two defers in Mr. iiaf- 
fenden’s condiidlor: i. The Icadc-n pipe and the iron 
bar at the bottom were not in contad:. 2 . The iron bar, 
or a thick plateof lead, have been continued down 
into the moUl earth or v/ater ; and had not the eaith, as 
Mr. HAFFENDEN oblcrves, flowed with water, at the time 
of the accident, the want of this precaution migdit, per- 
liaps,have been attended with fome damage to the foim- 
dation. I have been thus particular in my inquiries 
into, and remarks upon, this fa6f, as I think it of great 
importance to thofe who ereeft condudtors, to be inform- 
ed of every defedf in the conllmdtion, and of the dan- 
gerous confequences thence arifing. 
P. S. In Mr, haffenden’s fecond letter, he obferves, 
that the bell-wire, mentioned in his firft letter, was brafs; 
and that do much of it as went through the paffage was 
painted: and the painted part, he fays, was not de- 
Ifroyed; but the paint was loofened on the wire, without 
being broken off, like the loofe rind of a tree ; wdiich re- 
fembles the effeff of the artifieial eledfricity, in an ex- 
periment of Mr. kinnersley’s, where a wire w'as, by a 
great explofion, both lefTened in diameter, and extended 
in length. The other part of the wire, which was not 
painted, except a fliort piece at the end, fomewhat larger 
and of iron, was entirely melted. Query, If the wire 
before fpoken of had pafTed through a flone, particu- 
larly a wet one, inclofing it firmly, would not that ffone 
have been fliivered to pieces ? 
XXXIII. Of 
