2x6 Mr. cavendish on the Torpedo. 
feet diftance, and two or three more before he got it into 
liis boat. His boat was afloat in the water, and he drew 
in the nets with both hands. It is likely, that the fiflier- 
man might magnify the diftance; but, I think, he may 
fo far be believed, as that he felt the fliock before the 
torpedo was drawn out of water. This is the moft extra- 
ordinary inftance I know of the power of the torpedo; 
but I think feems not incompatible with the fuppofition 
of its being owing to electricity ; for there can be little 
doubt, but that fome electricity would pafs through the 
net to the man’s hands, and from thence through his 
body and the bottom of the boat, which in all proba- 
bility was thoroughly foaked with water, and perhaps 
leaky, to the water under the boat : the quantity of elec- 
tric fluid, however, taking this circuit, would moft likely 
bear fo fmall a proportion to the whole, that this effect 
can not be accounted for, without fuppoftng the fifli to 
exert at that time a furprizingly greater force than what 
it ufually does. 
Hitherto, I think, the effects of this artificial torpedo 
agree very well with thole of the natural one. I now 
proceed to confider the circumftance of the fhock’s not 
being able to pafs through any fenfible fpace of air. In 
all my experiments on this head, I ufed the firft torpedo, 
or that made of wood; for as it is not neceffary to charge 
the battery more than one-third part as high to give the 
fame fhock with this as with tbe other, the experiments 
were more likely to fucceed, and "he conclufions to be 
drawn from them would be lcarcely lefs convincing : for 
^1 find 
