804 Dr. musgrave’s Reafons for dijfenting 
away the electricity filently; this property, I fay, ope- 
rating from the very beginning, prevents the electric 
fluid from being accumulated in the prime conductor, 
and of courfe the quantity of it will always be fmall. But 
when a double or interrupted conductor is ufed, the fe- 
cond conduffor receives no eleff ricity till the prime con- 
ductor is pretty highly charged, and, if put at the great eft 
ftriking diftance, not till it is fully charged, and confe- 
quently the iharp point prefented to the oppofite end can 
carry away none of it till that time ; when the whole quan- 
tity is thrown off at once. It ihould feem then, that the ex- 
plofion in one cafe, and the non-explofion in the other, de- 
pended wholly upon the different quantities to be thrown 
off : whence it will follow, that though a fmall quantity 
of electricity will pafs off filently upon a point, yet that 
this power is very limited; for that if a fomewhat greater 
quantity be applied fuddenly to a iharp point, it will not 
pafs off filently, but create an explofion in proportion to 
its denfity. 
The faffs above related are a fufficient anfwer to that 
other experiment of Mr. nairne’s, in which he exhi- 
bited a iharp point, that when perfeffly communicating 
with the earth drew off the eleffricity filently from the 
prime conduffor; but received explofions freely, when 
the communication was broken by interpofing little 
ifthmufes of fealing wax. This experiment, it is true, 
demon- 
