Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 037.djvu/28

 a Piece of Lead; then with larger Quantities of Metal, suspending them on the Tube by Packthread. Here I made use of a Fire-Shovel, Tongs, and Iron Poker, a Copper Tea-Kettle, which succeeded the same, whether empty, or full of either cold or hot Water; a Silver Pint Pot; all which were strongly Electrical, attracting the Leaf-Brass to the Hight of several Inches. After I had found that the Metals were thus Electrical, I went on to make Trials on other Bodies, as Flint-Stone, Sand-Stone, Load-Stone, Bricks, Tiles, Chalk; and then on several vegetable Substances, as well green as dry, and found that they had all of them an Electrick Vertue communicated to them, either by being suspended on the Tube by a Line, or fixed on the End of it by the Method above mentioned.

I next proceeded to try at what greater Distances the Electrick Vertue might be carried, and having by me Part of a hollow walking Cane, which I suppose was Part of a Fishing-Rod, two Feet seven Inches long; I cut the great End of it, to fit it into the Bore of the Tube, into which it went about five Inches; then when the Cane was put into the End of the Tube, and this excited, the Cane drew the Leaf-Brass to the Hight of more than two Inches, as did also the Ivory Ball, when by a Cork and Stick it had been fixed to the End of the Cane. A solid Cane had the same Effect, when inferred in the Tube after the same Manner as the hollow one had been. I then took the two upper Joints of a large Fishing-Rod, the one of Spanish Cane, the other partly Wood and the upper End Whale-bone, which, together with the Tube, made a Length of more than fourteen Feet. Upon the lesser