the weakejl Natural or Artificial EleSlricity. xxvfi 
ably to the fuppofition, the intenfity of the ele&ricity in the 
phial or conductor was of half a degree. 
49. A conductor that is eleCtrified whilft it {lands in full and 
ample contact with another proper conductor, as above ipeci- 
Hed, and is afterwards feparated from it, (hews the fame phe- 
nomena that are exhibited by a conductor, which, after being 
electrified, is contracted into a fmaller bulk, or contrariwife, 
like Dr. franklin’s experiment of the can and chain (§ 35.) 
&c. 
50. If a fmall quantity of eleftricity applied to the metal plate 
of the condenfer enables it to give a ftrong {park, it may 
be alked, what would a great quantity of eleCtricity do ? The 
anfwer is, that it would do nothing more, becaufe, when the 
eleCtricity communicated to the metal plate is io ftrong as to 
overcome the fmall refinance of the inferior plane, it will be 
dilfipated. 
51. After all that has been faid in the preceding pages, 
it may be eafily underftood, that if the metal plate of our con- 
denfer can receive a good {hare of eleCtricity from a Leyden 
phial *, or from an ample conductor, however weakly electri- 
fied; it cannot receive any confiderable quantity of it from a 
conductor of a fmall capacity ; for this conduaoi* cannot give 
what it has not, except it were continually receiving a ftream, 
howfoever fmall, of eleCtricity, as is the cafe with an ntmo- 
fpherical conductor, or with a prime conductor of an eleCtrical 
machine, which aCts very poorly but continues in aCtion. In 
thofe cafes it has been obferved above (§ 4. 25.} that a confi- 
derable time is required before the metal plate has acquired a 
fufficient quantity of eleCtricity. 
52. As an ample conductor, weakly eleCtrified, imparts a 
confiderable quantity of eleCtricity to the metal plate of our 
f *- j n j^y paper on the Capacity of fimple Conductors is fliewn the great capa- 
city of a Leyden phial in comparifon to its bulk, juft becaufe the eleftricity, 
which is communicated to one of its furfaces, is balanced by the contrary eleftn- 
city of the oppofite furface. There I fhcw, that the capacity of 16 fquare inches 
of coated furface is equal to the capacity of a conduftor made of filvered cylin- 
drical fticks, and nearly 100 feet long, the capacity of which is fo great that its 
,park occafions a fhock conliderably ftrong. 
Vol. LXX 1 I. E condenler, 
