A Letter to the Right Honourable the Earl of Macclesfield, President of the Royal Society,from Mr. Benjamin Wilson, F.R.S. concerning Some Electrical Experiments, Made at ParisAuthor(s): Benjamin WilsonSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 48 (1753 - 1754), pp. 347-349Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/105166 .

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[ 347 3

LII. 24 Lett to the r;j£ b.nourable the EarXof MacclesISeld, Prefiden of the Royal SocietyXfrom Mr. Benjamin Wilfon, F.R.S. concerrixg J>se eleEtrical Experiments, rwade a Paris.

My Lord, Sept. I8, t7g3,Ctreat Queen-r. London.

Read Dec. 6,N tlle 7th ofthis morlth I was at the 1753* tJ palace of St. {lerman's near Paris,

where I had the litisfadrion offeeing Dr. Ie Monnier's experiment relat}ng to the eledrricity of the air; of which an accourw was fent me by Abbe Mazeas and svas read before our honourable Soety in December lalt; and I oSferved, that tlxough the wind was wefl: erly, and the air moill, yet the fufipended wire, at different times, attraered very lighe bodies, at very fmall diIlances; the mean of which dillances feem'd to be about 10 of in inch.

Abbe Mazeas informed me, that Dr. le Monniers fame months ago, had rejad a paper, at a meeting of the Roa7al Academy of SciencesX in which he told- them, that he had great reafon to believe the elec^ tric matter did not come from the eartb at all, but from the air. Upon my mentioning this to the Ditor, I iound him llill of the fame opinion.

As tllere vras a contrenient apparatus in his apart- menty I propoSed making the exvpersments: for I always thought that the eleEcric matter came from both, but principal}y from the-earth; and that, probably, a difference of IO to X would be per- ceived) upon making the experimentsv

XSX 2 The-

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r 348 ] The machine was fuEpended by filk lines, in fuch

a manner, that every part of it was not leEs than two feet diStant from any non-eledtric. The lines were dried by a chafing-diffi of fire masle with char- coal, as was likewife the glafs globe; and every other precaution was -ItriEtly obferved} that Seemed neceSary for making the experiments

The Dodcor appeared to be well verfed in eledtri- cal inquiries, and ffiewed great judgment m conduec- ing the whole. He got upon the fafpended appara

tvs himfelf, and rubbed the globe with beh his hands; whilIt another perSon, who was likewife fuf- pended, turlled the wheel of the machine. Clofe to the -globe was a {lender flip of lead; at one end of which was faRened fome brafs tmfel, to Serveasa col- ledcor of the eleEtric matter The other end of the lead had a communication with a tin tuSe, which was fupported by filk lines about a foot In length: and as this tube hg higher than I could reach, another was hooked to it by means of a wire which hung down to a convenient diilance.

As I kood upon the floor, I took hold of this la(E tube, whilk the glafis was rubbed, that the apparatus,

and the perSons on itg migXit lofe as much of their natural eleEtricit as poffizble underfuch circumfiances, On rensoving my hand, and afterwards approaching the tube, fotnetimes with my finger, and at other times with a key, we obServed very fmall explofions, which were little more than juIt fenfible.

I then deflred one of the DoEtor's fervants (who likewife llood upon the floor) to lay hold of the fuf- pended aflparvtus onwhich the-Doftor was molmtedf thilIt the friftion of the globe was continued. Im-

mediately

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[ 349 ] Mediatley on approaching tbe tllbe as before,with my finger, and then with the key, a very great differenc¢ svafi obServed; for now the explofion was very large compared with the former trials. Dodor le Monnier defired the experiments might be repeated; which was done feveral times, and, to all appearance} the differences were the fame.

He was perfeEtly fatisfied that the experiments were fairly made, and that the explofion was much greater when the apparatus communicated with the tartb, than when it-communicated with the air only.

As feveral getltlemen of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Aris were of opinion that thefe experi- ments deferved attenton, I thought your lordlhip would not be diEpleafed, if I did myfBlf the honour of communicating them.

I ams

My Lord,

Tour Lordffiip's moft obedient;

- and obliged humble fervant,

Ben3amin Wilfoz

For a fieries of aperiments and obfierarations where the wholc defltri. cal apparatus was fiapported by ele*;cs ,§r, fcc Pbil. qNra0. Yol. XLIV. p. jl 3-729-739 74o. See alfo Vol. XLV. p. 3-IOt aad Vol. XliVII.- p. 37t, 373. ht Mr WiMfion's >, -s4lud ftW8t.t, ^ Eri

LIIIt

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