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Read Ebook: 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. by Freke John
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Ebook has 82 lines and 13466 words, and 2 pages
Now, when this Fire of Electricity is issuing out at a Point into an inflammable Spirit, it can be no Wonder, that the Spirit, which is known to be full of Fire, should unite its Fire to that of Electricity.
As to the Crack it gives when this Fire passes away: As all Sounds are occasioned only by the Air's being put into a different Modification, it is here natural to suppose, that as the Cracking of a Whip is caused by the smart Stroke at the Point of it on the Air, so, in this Case, the Air seems to be agitated in the same manner, by breaking the Continuity of it, whereby the like Sound is perceiv'd.
The next Thing I propose to account for, is, Why a Company of unelectrify'd Persons, who are joined together by their holding each a Piece of iron Wire betwixt them, tho' they are ever so many, do all receive a violent Blow or Concussion on their Bodies, when one of them touches a Piece of electrify'd Iron.--I think this Experiment may be carried so far, that, as it has been found already sufficient to kill Birds, and hurt many Persons very grievously, it may have Force enough given to it to kill a Man, as effectually as the Darting of Lightning can do.
For if you consider, that you may as effectually electrify one Quantity of Iron as another, that it may be done to many Ton Weight as easily as to a small Piece, and that, when it departs into a Person, all the Power given to it, not only on its Surface, but intimately thro' every Pore and Particle of it, darts like Lightning from the Point only it was touch'd in; then further think, that if this Repercussion, or infinite Recoil, from so large and solid a Body, be so great, when its Power is thus sent, what may it not do in its utmost Extent?
Now, from this my Conjecture on Electricity, if you will suppose with me, that as all Things, which stand in the common Nature of this lower World, have this Fire equally dispersed, and have more or less of it only as they are in this or that Place, where more or less of it is offer'd to be received by them, or as they are in their own Natures more capable of receiving more of it than others are, and then likewise suppose the Nature of the Sensitive Plant is to have more of this Fire in it than there is in any other Plant or Thing, and it must, by the Nature of it, when any of them touches it, impart a great deal of its Fire into that Thing by which it is touched; because that had less of it than was in the Sensitive Plant. Therefore, till the Sensitive Plant has had Time to recover its Vigour, by receiving from the Air more of this Fire, its Leaves and Branches hang in a languid State, from the great Loss of its Spirit and Fire.
To illustrate this, if you set any small Tree in a Pot upon a Cake of Resin, and then electrify the Tree, even tho' it were a Willow, it would grow extremely turgid, so as to erect its Leaves to the great Wonder of the Beholder; and the Moment you touch even but one of its Leaves, the whole Tree becomes as languid as the Sensitive Plant would be, if touched by any Body or Thing.--This I think seems to me to give as great a Proof of the Truth of my Conjecture as the Nature of the Thing can admit of, respecting the Sensitive Plant.
Having consider'd how this electrical Power may be supposed to affect Vegetation in its common Growth, I shall reflect a little further concerning it, as it may affect animal Life.
We may observe universally, that Youth abounds with infinitely more Spirits than Age doth, as well in the Human Species as in the Brute Creation; as it is clearly seen in Children, compar'd to Adults; as also in Lambs, in Colts, in Kittens, and almost all other Young, they being much more vigorous than their Dams are generally seen to be. Now what Reflection I would make on this, is, That if Life in them, and in all Nature, be owing to the same Fire as causes Electricity, then, from thence may proceed the Danger of lodging old People with young Children; who, by long Experience, have been found to draw from young Children their natural Strength; the old People having in them a less Proportion of this Fire than young ones seem to have.
Being about to shew the Evil as well as the Good arising from this supposed Fire, I will, in the next place, endeavour to demonstrate, the Cause of Blasts in Mankind; and also to give some Reason for the Blights on Trees, which I think may be occasioned by this Fire before spoken of.
Having given some Account of the Fire which was seen in the high Wind, to corroborate that Truth, I think it proper to inform you, that I have been told, by very good Authority, that, in tempestuous Weather at Sea, great Flakes of Fire are frequently seen passing not only in the Air, but on the Water also: And having myself seen the Sea-Water, in the Night-time, appear to have a great Quantity of Fire issuing out of it, when the Surface thereof was disturbed by the Feathering of Oars, or by the Vessel or Boat passing swiftly through it, I asked a Sailor, At what Time that Appearance happened most frequently? He told me, It most generally happen'd after tempestuous Weather; or, as his Term was, dirty Weather at Sea.
I think this will sufficiently shew the Existence of this Fire in the Air; and, if any Regard be had to what I think its Power and Use is in the World, that it will intrude itself and force its Way into any Thing where less of it is, and so join itself to it by being in a greater Quantity; as has been shewn by many electrical Experiments.
You may suppose a Person sitting, as it is too frequently found they are, near a Door, or in a Window, when they are in a warm Temperature, and in Perspiration; if you believe that there can be any Probability in the Conjecture I have offer'd to your Consideration, is it not natural for any of this Fire, which passes as frequently through the Air in the Daytime as when it is seen in the Night; I say, Why is it not natural for it to force its Entrance into any Person or Thing? especially as it comes then with the Assistance of the Stream of Air the Person sits in, and with which it is driven.
In order to make this Mischief the more to be regarded, I will endeavour to shew the natural State of the Air itself.
As a Proof of this, I would recommend the following Experiment: Fill a Bladder with this clean Air; then press it with a Weight just sufficient to make it give way; and you will find, that, by reason of its Elasticity, it will yield much further, than if it were fill'd with the other Air, which is impregnated with foggy and aqueous Particles.
Now if, as in a Barometer, the Quicksilver is suspended by the Air on the Top of the Tube, which was extracted or emerged out of the Quicksilver, by the Weight of the said Quicksilver, and as that Air in the Barometer cannot but have a Communication with the ambient Air, the Air within the Barometer must thence be affected, by its becoming less elastic also.
The kind Reception this small Treatise has met with from the Public occasions the Printing this Second Edition of it.
It is, I confess, some Satisfaction to me, that my publishing it is not without Part of the Effect I hoped for; having been told by many, who have read it, that it gave them very new and satisfactory Ideas.
As to those who have read it, and say nothing of it, either from their Want of Apprehension, or their Fear of being obliged to alter their Sentiments concerning it, or from a worse Cause than either, I absolutely have no Concern about them.
There are those, I confess, who merit with me the highest Esteem, who, having read it, object to some Things, as fearing I have not conceiv'd them rightly; but this they have done with the Temper of Gentlemen. These I think deserve to be set right; which I will therefore attempt to do in the following Manner:
The Third Objection is, That so large a Quantity of Iron, as I have supposed to be electrify'd, will not give greater Force, when touch'd by a Person unelectrify'd, than a smaller one will.
Sealing-wax is compounded of Non-electricables, and, if you rub it, will attract Things to it as Amber will: And I believe all other Things, which will not imbibe the Fire into them, when by Friction it is collected on their Surfaces, will dispose of it thence to their next Neighbour. Resin and Pitch, from their Tenacity, may difficultly be made to do it, and, yet have the Nature in them I am supposing them to have.
There may be such artful Tricks play'd with this Power, as, to an undiscerning Eye, may make it seem to be changed; for Instance, If you wet a silk Cord it passes on the Water through the Cord, by the Cord's only retaining the Water. Some Dye, with which Silk is dyed, if it be of a vegetable Nature, will convey this Power through the Silk, by the Contiguity of the Dye-Stuff: So that you see there may be no End of Experiments.
As I am going to answer the Second Objection, I own I have not employ'd myself in making Experiments in Electricity, chusing rather, if I could, to account for those which have been found out by others, than to spend much Time in making them myself: Though I pay great Respect to those, who, for Improvement of Knowlege, have been employ'd in them. As to those who get Money by shewing these Experiments, I do not pay so high a Regard to their Performances; because all, who shew any Arts to new Customers, for Profit, are bound to try all Means to gain Applause. I would endeavour to ascertain the Laws or Principle by which they are perform'd; which when done, a Thousand Tricks like Legerdemain may be performed by it, by him whose Time is little worth.
Transcriber's note:
Width of em-dashes has been regularised.
Page 8, 'unphilophical' changed to 'unphilosophical,' "how unphilosophical and unmeaning"
Page 16, 'mortuum' changed to 'Mortuum,' "as a Caput Mortuum. Of"
Page 27, 'convergeing' changed to 'converging,' "prove this converging Fire"
Page 31, 'wil' changed to 'will,' "so it will be"
Page 56, 'whetever' changed to 'whatever,' "then, whatever ceases to"
Page 57, second 'to' struck, "ceases to be in"
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