extracts of two letters from the reverend henry miles, d. d. & f. r. s. to mr. henry baker, f....

Extracts of Two Letters from the Reverend Henry Miles, D. D. &F. R. S. to Mr. Henry Baker,F. R. S. Containing Several Electrical ExperimentsAuthor(s): Henry MilesSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 44 (1746 - 1747), pp. 53-57Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/104777 .

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[ 53 ] Qecl1 Elizabeth; and nvllicll, to my IOnonviegc, is too much pradifed ftncc loy ul<Nvortlly Perlons.

It-is likcly, tllat many of tlle corallille SubPtances mention'd by Atlthors, tuay le tl.iS, or Parts of it, tlle Cruft bcing rubb d off nzorc or lelEsa and itS Co-

lour cllanged, and tllercby dcicrsbcd for diffcr<^llt Corallines.

X. EstraSs of 7Jwo Letters froen the Revererrl Henry Miles, D. D. r F. R. S. zo Mr. Henry Baker) F. R. S. contaigingsveral EleEtrical Experiments.

I.

I)ea, Sir, Read Feb. 13.t AM undcr llo I:)otlbt} but tluat Experi- I745-6 1 mcnts with Sulpllur are capalole of being inzprov'dX and hope flortly to makc is appear 1 am loth to vctlture my ^,laEs Tubes of Flint for a Mould, but intcnd to procure oneof commoxl Glars; having lately had the MisfUrtune of lc)-ling my beA, in fo odd a Mallner, tllat I bclicve you will excllfc me if I trouble you witll the Account.

I llad bcen ufing it but a ittlC Time in tllc Evcn- ing; and, before I ]aid it alyr, llavilzg by me a rotlnil Rtllcr Emall enout,ll tO gO into the Bore, whcn it vas cover'd witIl a Roll ot ero of browla Paper, it CaSlC illtO nzy Hcad to cxcite it, by rubbing it a little on the Infide with thc Idid Ituler and Paper; bu£ not finding any EScd of itX after a fEw Minutcs Trial, not fo much as to attraflt tIle flnallcll Thread, I laid it in nzy Witldov ilu nzy Stdy vn a Parccl of

.S Papcl4s

[ 53 ] Qecl1 Elizabeth; and nvllicll, to my IOnonviegc, is too much pradifed ftncc loy ul<Nvortlly Perlons.

It-is likcly, tllat many of tlle corallille SubPtances mention'd by Atlthors, tuay le tl.iS, or Parts of it, tlle Cruft bcing rubb d off nzorc or lelEsa and itS Co-

lour cllanged, and tllercby dcicrsbcd for diffcr<^llt Corallines.

X. EstraSs of 7Jwo Letters froen the Revererrl Henry Miles, D. D. r F. R. S. zo Mr. Henry Baker) F. R. S. contaigingsveral EleEtrical Experiments.

I.

I)ea, Sir, Read Feb. 13.t AM undcr llo I:)otlbt} but tluat Experi- I745-6 1 mcnts with Sulpllur are capalole of being inzprov'dX and hope flortly to makc is appear 1 am loth to vctlture my ^,laEs Tubes of Flint for a Mould, but intcnd to procure oneof commoxl Glars; having lately had the MisfUrtune of lc)-ling my beA, in fo odd a Mallner, tllat I bclicve you will excllfc me if I trouble you witll the Account.

I llad bcen ufing it but a ittlC Time in tllc Evcn- ing; and, before I ]aid it alyr, llavilzg by me a rotlnil Rtllcr Emall enout,ll tO gO into the Bore, whcn it vas cover'd witIl a Roll ot ero of browla Paper, it CaSlC illtO nzy Hcad to cxcite it, by rubbing it a little on the Infide with thc Idid Ituler and Paper; bu£ not finding any EScd of itX after a fEw Minutcs Trial, not fo much as to attraflt tIle flnallcll Thread, I laid it in nzy Witldov ilu nzy Stdy vn a Parccl of

.S Papcl4s



[ 4 ] Pape1s atld Palilpille-ts, wSlere it ufed to be put; and llCXt WIolaling, as nvc xvere at BreakfaR, I lseard a Sllap, atid, on- turrling my Head) found about tWO

Ilicilcs of Illy Ttibe broke offr srery regtilarly Upon tilis I took itX and placwd it a:,aillll a Cupboaad- Door, ercd, ill a Pocket of Leatiler, tilat 11ad bcell

ail d up again(} tile Door fol fucl} a Pllrpot4c Th: upper End was tied to two Tllongs of Leatilcr, but nor tigllt) only to prevent its flirring: Tllus it con- tillucd {afe till I wcnt to Ecd; but, itl tllc MolllinsrX

upon openin", thc faid Door, I was furprifcd to filld ny Ttlb: in Shivers, except about thrcc Illclles, as if it lsad been broke with a Emart Blow of a ESatnlncr. tI-lle Cupboard is over the Firc-pl.cc, allcl fo near it, tllat Ittlink it impo«lble it {holllkl cvcr 1las1e lcen quitc

e:old; and tilC \Vindov wllere it was fi1ll ptlt is fo zear tlle Firc, and itS beillg {aid on tilC SCAt of thc XVindoxv, a Foot L5elonv tllc San) ; cotlld not bc nll.Xe;h affcElcd svitll tllc Air from tllence. Tlle \07catEler sras ft^olly, but tlle Tubc froill firft to 1A1t ncsZer out of tlle ltoom; aald I at11 filrc 1lcvcr had atly Bloxar

[lle Stick of El^imRont I laR ll1adc, NVitll WlliCtl I k;X<dled Lal1lp S;irits fo tcadilyX as I infolmed yov lefore, x^.s let Up iR tllC fOtClll2LltiOll'd CtlpbOal^d

in all ered PoRute, llas loR all its eleLlric Virtv}c, and cannot be lzza.ic to attraCt a Doxvn-Ecatl1er, or a fille TllrcXd.ttlwis I lir;lowv 1R0t llow to accotlnt for, utllefs it be, tlwat tl-le cXpoSlnD it to tllc Air, by itS

not ling wrapt llp in ally tlwing, nay havc deprived it ot its Ponvcr: lv1, if Ix:1aitorcrncnzbernot, Ste/hers (x-8ray utcd tO kccp llis Stllpl;t1r conic l;edics, ct,Ll it1 \\i1uc*GlaEs, in a Box, aticl svrapt up its Flal1llel;

Ilo\ArcVCt



[ 55 ] loosaresrcr 1 (Tza11 attempt to rccovcr it again - ItIze C>vup5¢o.lrdi is ftnallX and ncvcr cold. - -My Stick ox \0;tax kcpt sll nzy Dcsk7 nor xvlapt,, svill ateraft a Tllread at any tin1cX witllout lubbing at a11*

LaIt N igllt} havin^, Sevcral C clltletllcll xVitll 1zAc,

naluo xve1¢ dcJtrous of Seeing 1zc Sbt Flre to fonle Spilxits of NVize} I was svillil tv txy svllctllcr I could laot lrillulle tluc f.luc x^titll an Icicle; ltltX llot beir3 ablc to >ct o jRcn 1 attcnlptcd it xs itll a tlliclQ Piece of Ice atld illllrlediatcly {;lccccdctlX in Prcfcncc of 7 or Pcllolls; alzii L thillk tllc Sparks of Fire fro<l tize Ice} v1Xct1 tlae Fillger of a noll-clcdric Pcrfoxl was lzrougllt lligll it, wcrc as larC,e asld as poxvcrful as ally I ever fanv; fio tllat I atn fatistlcS cllc l5ox^ter of tllem is no wvays dimilliLhd by tlac ColuitlcSs of thc Ice: Alld I dollbt llot, but that, if tllc Ice le kcpt froul lnelting and dropping into tlle Spirits, Ice %7i

klndlc thcm as rcadily as any otber Subitallce:ttllc Spirits wrere ftlcll as wc uGc for tllc lNeaakttlc Lalllpa and far from lzeing of the 13cA Sorte

One CircanzAincc more I will luclltion, an({ re- leafe you.-By Accidellt one olf tllc G¢ntletllcn approaching the elcdcrified Petfon nvitll 1lis Flalld lzcar his ShoulderX the faid Gelltletnall fclt a veljy pun gent Stroke on 11is FlcIh, tllro' llis Coat and NVaiS- coat, xvhich were both Clotll. Tllis svas rcpeatcd {cvcral titnes, and in cvery otlcJs Opinion (ol-l Nvl1QNl- t.rrial was made) tllc xcpulfive Strolre nvas as I;nart as it iS \N70nt tO be on the End of tlle Eint:c> uw71zen norlaing intervencs; and tllc SellEatIoll Collt nucd as 1(D13g. I know not whctller tllis 11&S beew 1tctoe taal;¢n loticg of; if it llas, rour Ggoducfs will

>. txxllfc



[ 56 ] excuSe nzy Impertlnence; and vouchCafe to believe

e under Inany Obligations, looting, Fcbf 4. 1745K6

II.

EsgracS of a Letttr froan Dr. Miles zo Mr. Baker.

I Scalcc thotlgllt tlle Account I Scnt 1aR Week) of my kindling Spirits of Wille Wltll Icc tlle 3d of

this Ill{}ant, worth yolar Notice; lrut that as I 11ad not heard of any one at honae who llad dolle it, I in clined to relate it tO yotl. Since that, I madc an- other Trial, and fucceeded ̂ ritll all tllC EA6C ilM&- ginable; tlae Spirit kindling ttle very Momellt of my approaching thctn sarith ttle Lunlp of Ice, xvhich wras an Inch and a Quarter thick. After tllis I took a Clamp of Iroll} fucl) as is uid for lleatin: Box- Irons for Emoothing Lillen-Clothcs; and, having heated the fame red llot, applied it to the SpiritX as I Rood on the Cake of Wax eIedrificd, llolding the fame in a Pair of Tont,s

I did nor, I confcSs) expeEt mucll from this Trial 3 and tlle Event tas, that I could nor kindle the Spi- xits, during the Time tlle RedncEs continued in tile Clamp; but, as foon as that difappear'd, and it be- gan tO look blacki} ttle Spirits wcre kindled as ulua .

I (hall not draw any Conclufion from a iingle Trial; pexhaps Some ReaSons might be alltgncd7 why

tlle



r 571 tile red-llot Iron did not kindle the Spitits, pro- vided one xvere fure tllis svould alrays be tlle CaSe > and if tlle Experilnent were repeated wstitb the fame Confequence a good many times, olle woutd vellture to fay, tllae tlle Heat of the Iron contributed 1lo Poxger of inflanzint, to the EfMlXvia.

My Tube I have uSed of late is not made of tlle firle Flillt-GlaSs, but fuch as common Wine-Glaffies are made of.

I harre gOt me a Tllbc nzacle of conzmon grecll GlaEs Tllis is exceeding ligllt, ill CompariSon szritll otluels ; and tl ay be excited with double the Time and Pain rcquired for the others, but yet not without warme ing it at tlle Fire; tloougll tlliS feems powerful enough to attraXt tlle Btlnch of Tllreads, atet I am llot able to kindlc any Spirits with it.

I 11ave rnade tlleSe Trials, tllat r migllt be ablt tcs determinc wllicll kind of GlaEs afforded the greatell {tuantity of EDavia, or at leaft tlle fironge0, as ncar as miglze be; thich nzay not be altogether anllfe:ful to lDc klwowlz.

Mour kamble Serq)ant,

LI. Miles.

4x1*



extracts of two letters from the reverend henry miles, d. d. & f. r. s. to mr. henry baker, f....

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