An Essay to Shew the Cause of Electricity; and Why Some Things are Non-Electricable.: In Which Is Also Consider'd Its Influence in the Blasts on Human Bodies, in the Blights on Trees, in the Damps in Mines; And as It May Affect the Sensitive Plant, &c.Freke, John
History
An Essay to Shew the Cause of Electricity; and Why Some Things are Non-Electricable.: In Which Is Also Consider'd Its Influence in the Blasts on Human Bodies, in the Blights on Trees, in the Damps in Mines; And as It May Affect the Sensitive Plant, &c.
Freke, John
Electricity -- Early works to 1850; Martin, Benjamin, 1705-1782. Essay on electricity
After having attempted to prove to you, that the Cause of Electricity
arises from the universal Fire scatter’d through all Nature, by its
being rubb’d together in its Passage betwixt a glass Ball and a Piece of
Leather, _&c._ I hope I shall make it appear, that it passes from
thence, to the Body electrify’d, in a converging and diverging State;
just as a _Lens_ converges and diverges the Rays of Light which pass
through it: And that all Bodies electrify’d are shut up in a _Capsula_
or Covering of this electric Matter, or lambent Flame, which not only
passes over it about half an Inch thick, but pervades also every Part
and Particle of Matter which constitutes that Body; which it may as
easily do, if it consisted of many Tons Weight, as soon, and from the
same Necessity, as it would do to one of an Inch Diameter: And that the
electrify’d Body is intirely seal’d up at each Extremity.
To shew this Fire in a converging State, you may observe, when a
Gun-barrel, or any long Bar of Iron, is to be electrify’d, and it is in
a State of Suspension on silk Cords, which are non-electricable, you may
perceive the Fire issue from a Piece of iron Wire coming from the glass
Ball, in a lambent Flame, which draws to a Point, and then diverges, and
drives itself on, till the Gun-barrel, or Bar, is electrify’d.
Its being a Gun-barrel can be no other Reason for its Preference in that
Shape than in another; but I believe the Occasion of its being used here
is, because the greatest Effect which has been shewn from Electricity,
was sent from abroad; and that was caused by suspending a great Gun in a
non-electricable silk Cord. The Gun seems to have been made use of here
as being the greatest Quantity of Iron, and in the best Shape, they
could get it for Suspension. And were a Person so suspended, if he held
in his Hand a naked Sword, you might see such a lambent Flame passing
from it, in a converging and diverging State, as before describ’d.
I would further prove this converging Fire, from a late Experiment I
have heard of, which is as follows: If you suspend an iron Ball by a
large Piece of Wire, which descends from a Bar of Iron electrify’d, and
then hold under it, in a Saucer, some small round Bubbles of Glass, near
enough to be in Contact with the electrical _Vortex_, the glass Balls
will follow each other round in the Saucer; and each of these Balls, if
the Experiment be made in the dark, will appear to have a Spot of blue
Flame at each End of them.
Now, as, by the Contrivance of Man, here is more of this Fire crouded
together, than was intended by the Author of all Uniformity, seeing, by
its natural Cohesion, and the infinite Celerity it is spirally driven on
with, it is no Wonder, in this confined State, if that, which, as Water
unconfin’d, would be gentle and beneficent, should, with all the Power
that belongs to it, break out at the first Door which is opened for its
Passage from this tortur’d State.
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