from  Lightning  at  Purfleet. 
239 
3.  Mr.  Wilson’s  Dijfent  from  the  above  report . 
WHEN  this  important  fubjeCt  was  firft  debated  in 
the  Purfleet  committee  of  1772,  a paffage  was  quoted 
from  Dr.  franklin’s  philofophical  publications,  refpeCt- 
ing  the  nature  of  fuch  buildings  as  were  fecure  from  at- 
tacks by  lightning. 
The  paffage  alluded  to  is  this:  “ Buildings  that  have 
their  roofs  covered  with  lead  or  other  metal,  and  fpouts 
<{  of  metal  continued  from  the  roof  into  the  ground  to 
“ carry  off  the  water,  are  never  hurt  by  lightning;  as, 
“ whenever  it  falls  on  fuch  a building,  it  paffes  in  the 
li  metals,  and  not  in  the  walls.”  franklin’s  Exp. 
p.481. 
With  this  idea  the  building  at  Purfleet,  called  the 
Board-houfe,  was  coniidered  by  that  committee  to  be  in 
a fimilar  iituation,  and  confequently  fecure  from  fuch 
attacks,  without  having  any  other  conductors  than  the 
leaden  gutters,  pipes,  8cc. 
As  the  members  of  that  committee  then  prefent 
feemed  to  be  fully  fatisfied  with  that  determination,  I 
propofed  that  the  magazines  themfelves  fhould  be  put 
into  the  fame  circumftances ; otherwife  there  would  ap- 
2 pear 
