398 Mr. cavallo’s Experiments and 
ral times, and the effect was always the fame. The elec- 
tricity of the flannel and of the glafs, therefore, balanced 
each other. 
Having had occafion to coat a ten-ounce phial, I ftuck 
the infide coating, which was of brafs filings, with var- 
nifh, agreeable to the directions given by fome writers 
on eleCtricity. This phial remained about a week unufed; 
but it happened, that, whilft I was charging and dif- 
charging it for fome experiments, 1 obferved that on 
making a difcharge it exploded with a greater noife than 
ufual, the cork with the wire being at the fame time 
blown out of the neck of it. Being intent upon the main 
experiments in hand, I omitted to examine the pheno- 
menon of the phial. I replaced the cork on it, and went 
on charging and difcharging it again; but it had not 
been charged above three or four times more, when I 
obferved that, on making a difcharge, the varnifh that 
ftuck to the brafs filings was in a flame, which burned 
the bottom and fides of the cork confiderably, and occa- 
fioned a good deal of fmoke and flame to come out of 
the bottle. You will recoiled, that I repeated this expe- 
l'iment in the prefence of yourfelf, Mr. adams, and Mr. 
Coventry, when it fucceeded perfedly ; but the varnifh 
was this time fo far burnt, that the brafs filings, which 
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