8i8 Dr. musgrave’s Reafons for dijjenting 
be no doubt but that fuch a point, from its fuperior rea- 
dinefs to admit electricity, would take the explofion at a 
much greater diftance than a rounded end, and in pro- 
portion to the difference of that ftriking diftance would 
do mifc’nief inftead of good. 
But perhaps it will be faid, that every ftroke of light- 
ning falling upon a fharp point is previoufly diminifhed 
by that point, and therefore may more ea.fi.Sy be trans- 
mitted through the conductor, than when it falls undi- 
minifhed upon a rounded end. Upon this fuppofition I 
mult obferve, that it not only contradicts Mr. Wilson’s 
experiments at the Pantheon, but alfo Mr. Henly’s expe- 
ment already referred to in this paper, where the fire 
flew to a very taper point, and melted the end with a 
ftrong and loud explofion. So alfo the fharp-pointed 
conductors affixed in America to the henries of Mr. west., 
Mr. raven, and Mr, ma-yne, do not feem to have dimi- 
nished the force of the explofion, if we may judge from 
the violence of its effects as related at large in Dr. 
franklin’s works. It fhould feem, therefore, that the 
power of diminifhing a ftroke, like that of preventing 
it, is only contingent, and depends, as we faid before, 
upon the degree of velocity with which the lightning 
moves. 
