Observations on a series of electrical experiments / By Dr. Hoadly, and Mr. Wilson.

  • Benjamin Hoadly
Date:
1759
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on a series of electrical experiments / By Dr. Hoadly, and Mr. Wilson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    84/96 page 78
    [ 7« ] publifhed in the year 1746) and Sir Ifaac Newton’s op- icks induced me to believe. That all bodies have a very denfe fab tile medium fpread over their furjaces> which extends to a very finall dijlance from the body: and is of the fame nature with what is called eledtric fluid. That the difference between eledtrics and non eledtrics, is intirely owing to the different denfities of this medium, as it refills the exit or entrance of the eledtricfiuid equally $ fo that bodies cannot be eledtrified plus, without this re- Ming medium to confine the eledtric fluid in the bodies * - when once they are eledlrified $ no more than bodies can be eledtrified minus without the fame refilling medium to hinder the eledtric fluid entering into the bodies. Upon thefe principles I proceeded to make eledtric bodies non eledtric 5 or in other words, to render all bodies ca¬ pable of receiving the eledtric fluid equally. And here 1 hop’d to difpell as it were the cloud with which this part of natural philofophy had for fo many years pall been invel- lop’d. 1 confidered in the firit place that if I rarified the air, or my other elaflic fluid that was notconfind, the refiftance arifing from fuch a diminution of denfity would be lefs than if it was not rarified. And therefore, if I expofed amber, glafs, wax, pitch, refin, and even di¬ amonds to any given degree of heat, I fhould rarify the medium upon the furface of any one of thofe bodies, and confequently leflen its power of refiftance at any given diflance, The event proved the truth of the conjecture
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