f 
1040 Dr, ingenhousz’s Experiments 
at liberty, exerts its natural repulfive quality towards 
that body, upon which it does not find a fimilar quantity 
of electric fluid refitting its fpring, or its elaftic and re- 
pulfive quality ; it therefore rufhes towards that kind of 
vacuum which exifts upon a body negatively electrified; 
and thus the electric fluid of this body, lofing its natu- 
ral ftate of equilibrium, and accumulating itfelf towards 
the vacuum, produces there a real pofitive electricity, at 
the fame time that the oppofite extremity has a negative 
one. 
Before I go farther, I rnuft fpeak one word more of 
that particular quality of conducting bodies, by which 
they receive, with a kind of reluctance, either ftate of 
eledtricity; and, after having received it, part with the 
fame with as much feeming difficulty. This quality, not 
unknown to attentive electricians, who muft have ob- 
ferved it, has commonly appeared fomewhat extraordi- 
nary and difficult to be believed by many electricians, to 
whom I have happened to explain my theory of the elec- 
trophore. As this quality is the foundation of this theory, 
I conceive it will not be amifs to demonftrate it by faCts. 
The firft part of this inherent quality of non-con- 
duCting bodies, receiving a ftate of eledtricity with more 
difficulty than conducting bodies, is eafily (hewn by the 
following Ample experiment: a piece of dry glafs, held 
near 
