a 84  Papers  relative  to  an  Accident 
exp.  xxxiii.  Upon  repeating  this  experiment,  whilft 
every  circumftance  remained  the  fame,  excepting  that, 
inftead  of  the  point  below,  a rounded  end  was  put  in  its 
place,  and  after  charging  the  cylinder  again,  it  appeared, 
that  the  greateft  diftance,  at  which  the  lightning  (from 
the  needle)  ftruck  the  rounded  end,  was  not  more  than 
two  inches  and  three  quarters.  And  the  largenefs  of  the 
fpark,  as  likewife  the  loudnefs  of  the  explofion,  appeared 
to  be  lefs  conliderable  than  in  the  thirty-fecond  experi- 
ment. 
The  reafon  for  fixing  the  needle  at  the  end  of  the  lels 
fubftitute  with  the  point  downward,  was  to  reprefent 
a fragment  or  jagged  part  of  a cloud,  which  fome- 
times  hangs  down  towards  the  earth;  and,  as  Dr, 
franklin  and  others  have  fuppofed,  ferves  as  a kind 
of  ftepping-ftone  for  the  lightning  to  pafs  more  readily, 
and  in  a filent  manner,  from  a charged  cloud  to  a 
a pointed  conductor  underneath  it.  But  we  fee,  from  the 
two  laft  experiments,  the  lightning  does  not  pafs  in  a 
filent  manner,  becaufe  the  point  below,  as  well  as  the 
rounded  end,  was  always  ftruck,  and  the  former  at  twice 
the  diftance  nearly  of  that  of  the  latter. 
That  two  points  oppofed  to  each  other,  in  the  manner 
defcribed  above,  fhould  ever  occafion  a ftroke  of  light- 
ning, may  perhaps  appear  ftrange  to  thofe  who  are  not 
very 
