wind fhould facken, whilst the penthoufe fecured it from rain, and to regulate the jerks which might be occafioned by the fudden gufts of wind.

After thefe difpofitions I was to try if the tin tube afforded any tokens of electricity; but as it was prudent, for a reafon which will appear hereafter, not to approach the tin tube with a finger, a key, or any thing of that nature, I prepar

ed a little inftrument better fuited

to the purpose. To one end of a glafs tube 12 inches long and a quarter of an inch diameter, I fit ted a little tin focket, rounded at the end like a woman's thimble, and from this focket hung a little wire, which touched the ground when I offered to draw a spark. The end of this contrivance was to enable me to excite a spark without any difagreeable fenfation or fhock in the hand which held the glafs tube, thro' which the electric matter will not pafs; but without the communication with the ground, by the wire, fcarce any spark could be drawn from the tin tube. So that laying hold of the end of the glafs tube, and taking care that the wire dragged on the ground, I judged I might, without any inconvenience, by advancing the but end of the focket to wards the tin tube, excite the largeft and brighteft fparks. And indeed every thing not only fucceeded to the utmost of my expectation, but I was befides convinced in an extraordinary manner how neceffary a precaution I had taken.

The fparks at first were not unlike thofe which we get by the means of a good globe, and were occafioned by fome fmall clouds detached from the grand form. And as at this very time there was no appear ance of any thing very extraordinary, I laid afide the little glafs inftrument, which hereafter I fhall call

The electricity being again reviv ed, after a pretty long intermillion, every one refumed the former exercife with fingers and keys, or their fwords; and I attempting the like the next moment with the knuckle of the middle finger of my right hand, received fo terrible a fhock that I felt it in all the fingers of that hand, in my wrift, elbow, fhoulder, abdomen, both knees, and the malleoli of my feet; fuch a fhock, as I am apt to think, was never produced by the beft globe and two large glafs jarrs coated af

ter Dr. Bevis's manner, or the exhaufted phial of M. l'Abbe Nollet.

Several of the company, who obferved the convulfive motions I was in, were fatisfied of the violence of the commotion, and yet ventured to join hands, as in the + Leyden experiment, but without forming a circuit (which could not be done but with a phial) and the fhock was felt as far as the feet of the fifth perfon.

I relate thefe facts in hopes that perfons ufed to electrical experiments may draw fome light from them for explaining the neceffity of forming the circuit in the noted Leyden expe

riment.

This is done by binding on thin sheet lead, fuch as tea-chefts are ufually lined with, all o ver the outward furface within an inch of the neck, and filling the infide with iron filings to the fame height.

All the particulars of the Leyden experiment are explained and accounted for in a moft ingenious tract lately published, intitled Ob fervations on a series of electrical experiments, by Dr. Hoadley and Mr. Wilfon. (See Books of this month.)

When

When these gentlemen had informed me of what they felt, I advifed them not to expose themselves any further. The form advanced, and grew more and more violent; for tho' one drop of rain had not yet fallen, there was over the zenith of the kite, and near 60 degrees round it, black clouds which made me dread a fudden guft of electricity, which might bring on fome fatal accident. I took myfelf the advice I had given to others; I looked upon it as unfafe to draw any more fparks without the exciter. Having brought it within the diftance of four inches from the tin tube, a fpark iflued out full an inch long, and two lines thick Returning a fecond time, I drew a fecond, at the distance of five or fix inches at the leaft, which was two inches long and thick in proportion. In a word, I drew four or five more much of the fame dimenfions. Some little time after they appeared not fparks, but rather flakes of fire, which were excited at the distance of a foot, being at least 3 inches long, and a quarter of an inch thick; the fnapping of thefe was heard above 200 paces.

Whilft I remained in this fituation I felt, as it were, a cobweb on my face, though I was above three feet from the firing of the kite. I did then believe that it was not fafe to ftand fo near, and called aloud to all the company to retire, as I did myfelf about two feet.

Thinking myfelf now fecure enough, and not being incommoded by any body very near me, my firft care was to take notice what paf fed among the clouds which were immediately over the kite. I could perceive no lightning either there or any where elfe, nor fcarce the leaft noife of thunder, nor any rain at all, The wind was weft, and pretty ftrong, which raised the kite at least 100 feet higher that in the firft experiments.

Afterwards cafting my eyes on the tin tube, which was about three feet VOL. XII.

diftant from the ground, I faw three ftraws, one of which was about a foot long, a fecond four or five inches, and a third three or four inches, which ftraws being erect, and touching the ground with their lower extremities, performed a circular dance, like puppets under the tin tube, without touching one another.

This little fpectacle, which much delighted feveral of the company, lafted about a quarter of an hour, after which fome drops of rain falling, I perceived again the fenfation of the cobweb on my face, and heard at the fame time a continual ruftling noife like that of a fmall forge bellows. This was a further warning of the encrease of the electricity. From the firft inftant that I perceived the dancing ftraws, I thought it not advifeable to draw any more fparks, even with the exciter, and now I again entreated the company to fpread themselves ftill wider afunder.

I come now to the laft act of our entertainment, which, I muft own, made me tremble. The longeft ftraw was attracted by the tin tube, upon which an explofion was thrice repeated. The noife was not indeed quite fo loud as thunder, but greatly refembled it. Some of the company compared it to the explosions of rockets, and others again to the violent crafhing of large earthen jarrs against a marble pavement. Certain it is, that it was heard even in the heart of the city, notwithflanding the various noifes there.

The fire which was feen at the inflant of the explosion, had the fhape of a fpindle eight inches long, and five lines diameter: But this is not all; the fraw which had occafioned the explosion followed the fting of the kite. Some of the company faw it 45 or 50 fathoms dilance, attracted and repelled alternately, with this remarkable circumftance, that every time it was attracted by the fting, flakes of fire

who after fixing two bells to each foot, the fame number to each hand, with great propriety placing a cap and bells on his head, played feveral tunes, and went through as regular triple peals and Bob Majors, as the boys at Christ Church hofpital; all which he effected by the due jerking of his arms and legs, and nodding his head back ward and forward. If this artist had taken equal pains to employ his head in another way, he might perhaps have been as deep a proficient in numbers as Jededia Buxton, or at least a tolerable modern rhimer, of which he is now no bad emblem and if our fine ladies would ufe equal diligence, they might fashion their minds as fuccefsfully as Madam Catharina diftorts her body.

There is not in the world a more useless idle animal, than he who contents himself with being merely a gentleman. He has an eftate, therefore he will not endeavour to acquire knowledge: he is not to labour in any vocation, therefore be will do nothing. But the misfortue is, that there is no fuch thing in nature as negative virtue, and that abfolute idleness is impracticable. He who does no good, will certainly do mischief; and the mind, if it is not stored with useful knowledge, will neceffarily become a magazine of nonfenfe and trifles. Wherefore a gentleman, tho' he is not obliged to rife to open his fhop or work at his trade, may always find fome ways of employing his time to advantage. If he makes no advances in wisdom, be will become more and more a flave to folly; and he that does nothing becaufe he has nothing to do, will become vicious and abandoned, or at beft, ridiculous and contemptible.

There is not a more melancholly object, than a man of an honest heart and fine natural abilities, whofe good qulaties are thus deftroyed by indolence. Such a perfon is a contant plague to all his friends and acquaintance, with all the means in his power of adding to their happinefs, and ful

fers himself to rank among the lowest characters, when he might render hinfelf confpicuous amongit the higheit. Nobody is more univertally be.oved. and more univerfully avoided than my friend Careless. He is a humine man, who never did a beneficent action; and a man of unfhaken integrity, on whom it is imposible to depend. With the best head and the best heart he regulates his conduct in the mot abfurd manner, and frequently injures his friends; for whoever neg. lects to do justice to himself, muit inevitably wrong thofe with whom he is connected, and it is by no means a true maxin, that an idle man hurts nobody but himself.

Virtue then is not to be confidered in the light of mere innocence, or abdaining from harm, but as the exertion of our faculties in doing good: as Titus, when he had let a day lip, undistinguished by fome act of virtue, cried out, "I have lol a day." It we regard our time in this light, how many days fhall we look back upon as irretrievably loft? and to how narrow a compais would fuch a method of calculation frequently reduce the longeft life? If we were to number our days, according as we have applied them to virtue, it would occafion ftrange revolutions in the manner of reckoning the ages of men. Wa fhould fee fome few men arrive at a good old age in the prime of their youth, and meet with feveral young fellows of four score.

Agreeable to this way of thinking, I remember to have met with the epitaph of an aged man four years old; dating his existence from the time of his reformation from evil courfes. The infcriptions on moft tomb-tiones commemorate no acts of virtue p.zformed by the pertons who lie under them, but only record that they were born one day and died another. But I would fain have thote people, whote lives have been ufele, rendered of fome fervice after their deaths, by atfording leifons of intruction and, mo

rality

Tality to those they leave behind them. Wherefore I could with, that in every parish several acres were marked out fora new and fpacious burying-ground, in which every perfon, perfon, whofe remains are there depofited, fhould have a small stone laid over them, reckoning their age according to the manner in which they have improved or abused the time allotted them in their lives. In fuch circumstances, the plate on a coffin might be the highest panegyric which the deceased could receive; and a little fquare ftone, infcribed with Ob. Ann. Ætat. 80. would be a nobler eulogium than all the lapidary adulation of modern epitaphs. In a burying-ground of this nature, allowing for the partiality of furvivors, which would certainly point out the most brilliant actions of their dead friends, we might perhaps fee fome infcriptions not much unlike the following:

Here lie the remains of a celebrated beauty, aged 50, who died in the fifth year of her age. She was born in her 18th year, and was untimely killed by the fmall-pox in her twenty-third.

Here refts in eternal fleep the mortal part of L. B. a free-thinker, aged 88, an infant. He came into the world by chance in the year and was annihilated in the first year of

on

Here is depofited the body of th celebrated Beau Tawdry, who wa born at court in the year birthnight, and died of grief in h fecond year, upon the court's goin into mourning.

Here rots A. B. still born, who die of a fright on the 20th of May 1756

Here refts from his labours th brave Gen. B. who died about th hundredth year of his age, older tha Methuselah.

The following laudable Affociation ava entered into by the Freebalders Society: Dublin, at a general Meeting, beld a the Phoenix Tavern in Werburgh Street, July last.

7Hereas the Proteftants of Ireland

(as far as may be collected from the late arrays) cannot amount to let than two hundred thousand men, fit to carry arms:

And whereas these men are wel known to be univerfally filled with the higheft indignation against the ambition and perfidy of France; the warmeft fentiments of loyalty gratitude and affection for his majefty's perfon; and the ftrongest attachment to the proteftant fucceflion in his illuftriou houfe; the bulwark of liberty, the barrier against popery and arbitrary power:

And whereas fuch a body of fuch men, if properly prepared, may be ot fingular, ufe, in the progrefs of this juft and neceffary war:

We, the Freeholders Society, affociated from all parts of this kingdom to promote public fpirit, and oppofe all measures detrimental to his majesty's true intereft, or inconfiftent with the

hereby folemnly promife and engage to each other, that we will enter into and act in any military fervice which our moft juft and gracious fovereign fhall require of us, in any part of this kingdom or of Great Britain, during the prefent war, and arm ourselves and our proteftant tenants at our own expence, whenfoever his majesty's pleasure shall be fignified for that pur -pofe.

The