on Electric Discharges through JVater. 147 
be passed through water, or other fluids, for even a much longer 
time than was consumed in performing those referred to, or 
related in this paper; it may be an object to employ the wind, 
or perhaps the power of a horse, to turn the electrical machines; 
the expence of labourers being considerable. 
§ 2. Experiments. 
From my journal of the numerous experiments, made during 
the course of nearly two years, I shall select those which will 
serve to explain the nature of the process, and show the power 
of the plate electrical machines ; and I shall particularly relate 
those experiments which afforded the most useful results con- 
cerning the nature of the gaz obtained. 
1. With interrupted Discharges. 
Experiment A. About 1600 of these discharges, by means of a 
thirty-four inch single plate electrical machine, in nearly three 
hours, produced, from New River water taken from the cistern, 
and which had not been freed from air by the air pump or boiling, 
a column of gaz two-thirds of an inch in length and one-ninth 
of an inch wide. On passing through this gaz, between the two 
wires of the tube in which it was produced, a single electric 
spark, its bulk was instantly diminished to two-thirds. In other 
experiments the bulk of gaz was only diminished to about one 
half. And the result was the same with distilled water. 
B. The experiment A being repeated several times, with 
distilled and New River water, freed from air by the air pump 
or long boiling, the quantity of gaz just mentioned was obtained 
in about four hours. 
On passing an electric spark through this gaz, in the situation 
U 2 
