Obfervations in Electricity. 1 43 
Since the preceding papers were prefented to the 
Royal Society, I have feen and heard of fuch a number 
of curious remarks, obfervations, and difcoveries on light, 
fire, phlogifton, and electricity, which tend to illuftrate 
and confirm the opinions I have advanced, that I would, 
beg leave to add, that, had I feen or known of feveral of 
thofe excellent pieces in time, I thould certainly have 
availed myfelf of fuch important labours, and have 
fpoken of the fubjeCts above-mentioned with a . greater 
degree of confidence. The authors I allude to are, 
boerhaave on Fire; stahl on Phlogifton; Dr. Pem- 
berton on Fire; Dr. higgins on Light; the celebrated 
macquer, particularly in his Memoir on Phlogifton, in 
.the abbe rozier’s Journal for Nov. 1776; a Memoir 
by Mr. opoix on Phlogifton and Light; Mr. achard’s 
Electrical Experiments on the Ice of diftilled Water, 
frozen in a degree of cold exceeding what w.e ever expe- 
rience in this country; with plates of which ice he not 
only performed the Leyden experiment, but even ex- 
cited it by friCtion like glafs (fee the Abbe rozier’sJoui- 
nal for Nov. 1776); and laftly, M. koestlin’s curious 
and fnoft valuable experiments on the influence of elec- 
tricity, in the production and fupport of animal and ve- 
getable life, particularly his difcovery that vegetation was 
.actually retarded by electrifying his feeds negatively. 
