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"‘ " t A J. 13,... too Of 2'11? Dypzrtu nlzazrl‘ pomtcd Cunuirim J. [M. R] Rag/5m in favour of Purim. .1 confirmed the dcciliwn of the iiri'l committee. "As the d‘il‘putc in the p realan, ~5e opinion is not yet clo‘cn, i have llit‘rl very lntiiniér) to: this aiidrlor other ii: hiya jitll‘ll‘f 01 1[.-vlt ls fiiperilr its to add perhaps, that in [llC‘Cflll' c or ‘ltllS controverfy, (Villfll ztlicr occupying attention from me it peiloiiziges at home, has tround it's :vavabi‘oad) ‘i‘i'lr. l'lenl) and .l‘.‘ . l\ irtic have very much 11 ilized' tlzeiiifelves, as Dr. Franklin‘s defenders; and that on" ruiiic opinions are now likely to find another prinCipal and farmer advocate in Lord Vifcount Mahon. 501 than in the forme _ r cafe) drives away the na ttiral char e iii to get at the ponit; which having done, itquickly makgs ,ufe ogigfi: a i'iici‘e conduflor. ln this cafeitis {ecu why a preteriiatural charge eiiiily puflies 121/0 alpo'int, towhic h itis placed oppofite, (in order to come to an equilib rium with the earth.) --Btit a pretern atural charge :tlfo eafily ptillies mn-ofa point, with which it is connected, in omjer to go lllt0.[l!C‘ neighbouring bodies; for a preteruatural electric charge is (if one may be allowed the exprelfion) {o fell:- repelicnt, as to be ever ready to btirli and dii‘perie; and as it is of no confeq uence that fame parts of the body iti which it Without going much into the general quellion, ‘l‘bcg: permii'lion refides, are faithful to their trtill, provided other parts are {o weal: as to ad~ condutling matter, it may beoblcrvcd, attracts the fluid oy virtue only ofthat fingle point. But it a mal- of fuch matter is connected with the fluid, the fluid becomes attracted not only by't'he Particle of matter eEiimctriczilly before it, but by thrift: particles lirzeivile that lie to the right and left (ll-it: jtill: 115.\\‘llCn three or {our perfons fit clofe together in a row at arable, with each. n. ttiPer before him, mit its eleape, the neighbouring bodies contelt the poilhflioii at the weaker fpot; and by that means draw oil" {0 much of the charge as is preteriiatural, {oon leaving the fluid reduced to its natural ltaudard. -- in the cares therefore both ofingi'el's and egi'cls, the point is with great facility llripped ol'its natural charge, and become s converted for a moment from a retaiiicrof the fluid into a mere conduct or ofit. As to the cafe Ofrmdlzflm'rngaiH/I [lg/mag, one may be very well content to have found out :1 means of coniriviig a paling-e for the reading‘; they not only receive the illumination of their own Par- flroke, where it can do no harm, which paliage it [hall prlfrr to the ticular taper, but that proceeding from thefln'e-ra}: of their neighs building, to which it might do harm. And a metal rod it feems anlivers this purpofe; being cheap with refpect to expeiice, and a. much better iiiviter of the fluid than tie building. But for the hue, to throw out a hint, on the nature and. (fleet or blunt and pointed tCIminalions in conductors of the elefiiric llLlld..--f‘\ perm of hours; to as all of them to fee better, than if each were placed with his taper in a feparate morn-But farther. V's/hen conducting bodies connefted ivith the earth, are {aid to be in their natural Rate refpet‘ling electricity, it is not meant that they are then mil/7- {are realbii that we Life a inctiilline red, as being a better conduct or of the fluid, than the building itfelf, it llmuld {cent that we ought to prefer a metallinc rod thatis pain/ed; becaul'c the point (virtually); greatly imam/xi the inviting powers of the met 2. -It is not indeed to be {uppoled that \\e fliould conltrtic‘t the pomtcrl conductors ofa am electricity ; but only that they have no more than their fliarc in the general dilh‘ibution of it throughout nature : hvcry fuch body has its portion ; greater or {nialler according to what it is able relz}; tiiely to contain. The pOint,.and the blunt ma-{s therefore Jut ‘wmrluz height; in as to make them interfere with lightning that mentioned, have diflirmr collections of fluid, even in what is called would not itfelf interfere with the building'fi-But, ifit lhould their natural flute *3 becaufe the retaining power in blunt bodies 13 greater, in pro/infirm to its number of particles, than in the potntf. -.VVhen therefore apretzrmi/urally charged body isprelented to fuch alvlzmt body, it finds in it a confiderable collection of fluid, by which its own chargeis repelled, and that at foniedfllancE. Butwhen a paint is prefented, the fluid of the Preternaturally charged body approaches very near it, and then by its {uperior torcc (more eafily 3* [This natural {late is a fort of mean, between the preternatuml and nega- tive hates ‘ and its exiflence is well known from many experiments to clean» cians. j ' 1‘ [It is true alfo that when the charge thickens, the repel/:nq'af tbefluid increafcs for the fame, and other reafons; but then, to a certain pitch, the {‘1‘ prior force of the increakd attraétion balances this. E._'] appear, that the rods prcfcribcd for common me are more than {uf- ficient to conduct the laigtll llroLe ever known to take pla e; and ifit {hniild alto appear thin/[lady elevated points have a remarkable tendency not only to cnniiucl; a llroke when upon its pal'lhge, preferably to a. blarit termination ; btit to Real it away from the charged clouds lilently and piece-meal, before it can come in the form of a ltrolte, tllCl';l)y preventing that firoke; (and all thefe circum. RHI‘CCS do very evidently appear ;) then it will be found that i'nuCl'!‘ more danger is r'rfi by low conductors, than can poflibly be z'ururred' by any particularly elevated pointed ones; and conlequemly that * [Unlefs for inflame it was placed on fome principal eminence or building in a town, where it ilioiild fervc by that means as a fort or general protection to the town. .E.] than ii: |
