Obfervations on a new Electrical Machine . 5 1 7 
adtion, it is not fo foon as might be fufpected reduced 
again to a quiefcent ftate, efpecially in bodies fo pecu- 
liaily adapted to affect each other as thefe appear to be. 
Mr. lane has favoured me with a very curious experi- 
ment, which he made as long fince as the month of June 
1764, and then fire wed to many of his friends, which 
feems fully to confirm this opinion. 1 have, therefore, 
requefted his leave to infert it, as follows. Having pro- 
cured two large pieces of thick, plate glafs a and b^ with 
plain lui races, and fitted them fo as to coincide with each 
other, he coated a part (about eighteen fquare inches) of 
A, on one fide, with tin-foil, and an equal part of p> he 
coated in the fame manner, fo as to anlwer exactly to a, 
leaving a margin of glafs, an inch and a half broad, in 
the narrowed: part; but, at one of the ends of each plate 
(which end was reduced in breadth), not lefs than five 
inches of the glafs were referved uncoated, for the pur- 
pole of handling them. The uncoated fides of thefe 
glades being laid together, they were charged by the 
machine as one plate; when the plate a, which touched 
the prime conductor, was found, 011 feparating them, to 
be pofitive on both fides; and b, which was touched by 
a finger during the operation, was negative on both 
fides. Then, laying them in contact, as at firft, and 
making the difcharge as with the Leyden bottle, the 
plates were drill found to cohere, and after leparation 
were obferved to remain ftrongly electrical ; but with an 
electricity directly contrary to that they fhewed before the 
difcharge, a being now negative, and b pofitive on both 
fide-. But, what is particularly to my purpofe, if the 
Y y y 2 coating 
