of fuf pending Magnetic al Needles, £'39 
■ 
pointing directly in it ; becaufe near this very place the 
power of direction of the needle may be fo weak as not 
to overcome the refiftance, which was oppofed to its free 
horizontal circular motion. 
I thought, in the courfe of laft year, that a great part 
of the above mentioned difficulty might be taken away 
by different methods, fome of which are the following. 
exp. i. I placed an ordinary magnetical needle, flip- 
ported upon its point, in a china bafon, and poured wa- 
ter into it, fo as to cover the whole, needle. The needle 
loft a great deal of its reftleffnefs, was influenced by the 
approach of a magnet at a confiderable diftance, andi 
feemed to point as well as before to the. magnetical me— 
ridian, though with a flower motion. 
exp. ii. I took a ftrong flat magnetical needle, having, 
in its center a round hole, but no cap. I fixed to this nee- - 
die as much cork as was neceffary to make it juft fwirn; 
upon the water in a bafon. I fixed a fmooth brafs pin in 
a vertical pofition, fo that it paffed through the hole 
in the center of the needle, to prevent its fwimming to 
the fides of the bafon. This did tolerably well: the' 
needle moved to the magnetical meridian with a flow 
motion. 
exp. hi. I then took the needle ufed in the firft expe- 
riment, and fixed upon it as much cork as was requifite, 
