he supposed to be the proper region for experiment. At length he devised the simple expedient of using a common kite for the attainment of his object, and in June, 1752, about a month after the French discoveries, but before any report of them had reached America, he performed his celebrated experi

ment.

Although it may seem unnecessary to repeat in this place a narrative with which every school-boy is familiar, we shall, nevertheless, annex an account of this famous experiment, believing the omission would leave our report defective in a very essential point. The kite used by Franklin on this occasion, was made by extending a silk handkerchief upon two crossed sticks. To the upright stick was affixed an iron point.

The string was of hemp, except a small portion of the lower end, which was of silk: where the hempen string terminated a key was fastened. With this apparatus, on the approach of a thunder-storm, he repaired to an open field, accompanied by his son, to whom alone he had communicated his intention.

Having raised his kite, he placed himself under a shed, to avoid the rain and preserve the insulation of his silk cord. A thunder cloud passed over the kite, and no sign of electricity appeared. When, almost despairing of success, he observed the loose fibres of the string become erect, as if they were repelled. He now presented his knuckle to the key and received a strong spark; others succeeded even before the string was wet; but when the string was thoroughly wetted by the rain, he collected the electric fire in great abundance.

Franklin afterwards erected an insulated rod upon his house, by means of which he continued to investigate the subject for several years, in conjunction with his friend Mr. Kinnersly. The new field of discovery thus opened to the votaries of science, was speedily entered by a host of experimenters. Of these, it will be necessary to name only a few of the more prominent, whose experiments and discoveries embrace all that it is interesting to know.

In England, the first attempts to repeat these experiments, were made by Mr. Canton and Dr. Bevis; but owing to the unfavourable nature of the climate, or some defect in their apparatus, it was not until after numerous disappointments that they succeeded in obtaining some feeble indication of electricity. The most splendid experiments that have come under the notice of the Committee, were those made in France by M. De Romas, assessor of the Presidial of Nerac.* This gentleman made use of a kite which was

A full account of these experiments may be found in the Memoirs de Savans Etrangers, published by the French Academy.

seven feet five inches in height, and three. feet in its greatest width, having above eighteen square feet of surface. The string was wrapped with copper wire somewhat after the manner of the base string of a violin.

On the 7th of June, 1753, at one o'clock, it thundered in the west; at half-past two M. De Romas had raised his kite with a cord 780 feet long, inclined at an angle of 450 nearly; so that the elevation of the kite was about 550 feet. To the lower end of the cord he tied a ribbon of silk about three and a half feet long; this was brought under cover of a pent-house, and was there fastened to a heavy stone. Near the junction of the cord and ribbon was suspended a tube of tin one foot long and an inch in diameter, from which the sparks were to be drawn.

He had prepared a discharging-rod with a glass handle twelve inches long, and provided with a brass chain of sufficient length to touch the ground when sparks were drawn from the tube. By means of the discharging-rod he at first obtained sparks as large as those produced by a good globe, and several of his assistants drew sparks with keys and with the naked finger. This performance continued about twenty-two minutes, when the electricity disappeared; the little black clouds from which it was procuredhaving passed from the zenith of the kite. In about seven minutes the electricity re appeared, but was at first very feeble; it gradually increased, and sparks were drawn by the fingers, canes, and swords, of the spectators. M. De Romas now touched the tube with his knuckle, and received a terrible shock, such as he had never experienced from the Leyden vial charged by the best globes. Seven or eight of the bystanders having joined hands, received sparks which struck the feet of the fifth person. The storm now approached and increased in violence, not a drop of rain had fallen; but in the zenith of the kite and about 60° around it, there were black clouds, which indicated a great increase of electricity.

ness.

M. De Romas, therefore, thought proper to receive sparks only by the discharge, and in this manner drew several sparks more than two inches long and of proportionate thickAfter this, the electricity became so strong, that instead of sparks sheets of fire three inches long and three lines in diameter, flashed to the distance of more than a foot from the tube. At this time, when about three feet from the cord, he felt a sensation as if a spider's web was upon his face. He advised his assistants to keep at a greater distance, and himself retired about two feet; and when five feet from the cord, he again perceived the same sensation, and retired still further. M. De Romas now paused to observe what took place in the clouds above the kite; there was no lightning, almost no

thunder, and not any rain, the wind was west, and so strong that the kite rose about 100 feet higher than at first. Having cast his eyes upon the tin tube which was about three feet from the ground; he observed three straws about a foot long, and others four and five inches in length, standing erect upon the ground and dancing in a ring beneath the tube-like puppets. This little spectacle lasted about fifteen minutes, after which some drops of rain fell, and he again felt the spider web sensation, and heard a rustling noise like the sound of ,a small forge bellows. This was considered a warning of a new increase of electricity, and he cautioned his assistants to retire to a greater distance. Now came the last act of this magnificent drama, which M. de Romas says made him tremble. The longest straw was attracted by the tube, and then followed an explosion which some compared to the noise of a petard, and others to the sound of a large earthen jar dashed upon a pavement. The fire, which accompanied this explosion, had the form of a spindle eight inches long, and four or five lines in diameter. The straw, which had caused the explosion, followed the string of the kite, and was seen at the distance of forty or fifty toises going with great rapidity, alternately attracted and repelled, every attraction being accompanied by sheets of fire and continual explosions. During this part of the exhibition there was a strong smell of sulphur, and around the string there appeared a cylinder of permanent light three or four inches in diameter; which, it was supposed, would have appeared to be four or five feet in diameter if the experiment had been made at night. Shortly after this, the wind shifted to the east and the rain fell abundantly, followed by some hail, so that they were unable to keep the kite up any longer; as it fell, the string came in contact with a roof, the kite was made to rise again, and as soon as it was released from the roof, the person who held the string received such a violent blow in his hands that he was compelled to relinquish it. The string now became slack, and falling upon the feet of one of the assistants, he felt a concussion almost insupportable. On the 16th of August, 1757, M. de Romas, having again raised his kite with a cord more than 1000 feet in length, obtained results even more astonishing than those just narrated.

In a letter to the Abbé Nollet, giving an account of this experiment, he says, ་་ Imagine to yourself sheets of fire nine or ten inches in length, and one inch in diameter, with a noise like the report of a pistol: in less than an hour I had certainly thirty flashes of these dimensions without counting a thousand others of seven feet and under."

The dangerous nature of these experiments

was fearfully illustrated about this time, by an accident which created a deep sensation throughout the scientific world. Professor Richman, of St. Petersburg, being engaged in a treatise upon electricity, had erected upon his house an apparatus for observing the electrical condition of the atmosphere, during thunder storms. On the 6th of August, 1753, while attending the usual meeting of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. a little before noon he heard the sound of distant thunder, he hastened home, accompanied by Mr. Sokolow, engraver to the academy. Upon examining the electrometer which was attached to his apparatus, Richman remarked that the thread pointed to four degrees on the quadrant; and described to Mr. Sokolow, the dangerous consequences that might ensue if the electricity should increase to 45o or more. At this moment, while Mr. Richman was in a stooping posture, with his head about a foot distant from the rod, a globe of white and blue fire, about the size of a man's fist, appeared between the machine and Mr. Richman's head.

At the same time, a sort of steam or vapour arose which stupefied the engraver, and made him sink down, so that he could not remember to have heard the thunder, which was very loud.

As soon as Mrs. Richman heard the loud clap of thunder, she hastened to her husband's chamber, fearful of some bad consequences, and found him entirely lifeless, sitting upon a chest which happened to be placed behind him, and leaning against the wall.

After this unfortunate occurrence, electricians became more circumspect in experimenting upon an agent so dangerous and intractable. The phenomena of thunder storms having been investigated to a considerable extent, philosophers next directed their attention to observations upon the ordinary elec. trical condition of the atmosphere, and the changes to which it is subject. Experiments of this kind were prosecuted in America, by Mr. Kennersley, the friend and associate of Franklin; in France, by M. Le Monnier, and the Abbé Mazeas; in Switzerland, by M. De Saussure; and in England, by Mr. Cavallo, Mr. Read, and several others. But the labours of these philosophers, although of great value and interest, fall very far short of those achieved by Signior Beccaria, of Turin, who continued a series of accurate experiments through a period of twenty years.

The observations of this eminent philosopher were made in all kinds of weather, and every season of the year. He made use of a great variety of instruments, and employed numerous assistants, sometimes causing simultaneous observations to be made at several distant places. As the limits of this report will not allow a detailed account of the phenomena observed by all these philosophers, it is

deemed advisable to furnish a condensed statement of the general results, upon which most of the observers agree in a very satisfactory manier.

In calm, clear, dry weather, the electricity was always perceptible and invariably posi tive. It was more abundantin winter than in summer. During a rain it was generally negative, but it sometimes became positive while the rain was falling; and on some occasions these changes occurred several times in the course of a single storm.

In cloudy, damp, or windy weather, it was mostly positive, but feeble. The quantity always increased with the length and elevation of the conductor; insulated strings extended horizontally, sometimes gave strong indications of electricity; a cord, 1,500 Paris feet in length, extended across the river Fo, was found to be as strongly electrified during a shower unattended by thunder, as a rod of metal had been during a thunder storm.

The latest of these experiments were made about the year 1791; since which period, the interesting phenomena brought to light by the discovery of galvanism, have so much engrossed the attention of philosophers, that the other branches of electrical science have been comparatively neglected.

As far as the committee have been able to extend their researches, it appears that the observers of atmospheric electricity, have confined their experiments to a region of comparatively very small elevation, none of them having attained a greater distance from the surface of the earth, than one thousand feet; and even the few who reached this height, made use of such imperfect conductors, as were not calculated to furnish accurate results. It therefore seems probable, that a course of experiments made with good conductors elevated to the height of ten or fifteen thousand feet, would furnish such an addition to our knowledge of this interesting subject, as would fully compensate the labour and expense necessary for their prosecution.

ON THE

OPENING OF THE GREENWICH RAILWAY. Sir-On this day (Dec. 14, 1836,) the London and Greenwich Railway was opened by the Lord Mayor of London.

Amidst the multiplicity of railway projects, this event, although unquestionably the opening of a new era in the history of England, is in danger of passing by unheeded. I would, therefore, with your permission, offer a few observations on this important event, and also upon the future prospects which it opens to our view.

The change which railways are calculated to effect, not only in England but throughout the whole of Europe, is of a most extended and beneficial character. We have now a prospect, a cheering prospect, that at no distant day all the ends of the earth will meet, and that their meeting will be in peace; we may now hope that the time is not far distant when men will heat their swords into steam-ploughs, and their

Sir, this is no day-dream so sure as effect follows cause, so sure will this be the ultimate result of an extended railway communication. Viewing railway operations in this light, we cannot do otherwise than wish them "God speed."

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But this exhilirating view of the great extension of peace, happiness, and civilisation, pleasing as it undoubtedly is. must not lead us away from the consideration of the subject in a mere worldly or commercial point of view. If wild projects are undertaken, having no rational prospect of success, such projects must have an injurious effect-they will act as a damper upon the public mind, and instead of urging forward, they will retard the above consummation which is so devoutly to be wished. It therefore be hoves the Parliament and the public to keep a strict eye on railway projectors, to see that the public good or the interest of the proprietors is not sacrificed to partial or private considerations. I hope the London and Greenwich Railway will return to the proprietors all that has been promised in the prospectus; but, that it may do so, they must follow a different plan than that which seems to guide their counsels at the pre sent time. And, first, with respect to the arches. Why not make these a source of permanent profit at once? Why not convert them into proper dwellings, for which purpose they are much better adapted than the heads who direct the concern seein to suppose. A great deal of fuss was made some time back about the nuisance of the smoke from the chimneys annoying the passengers on the railway, and a entific stove" was procured which gave out no "carbon" (Anglice, soot) to annoy the olfactory nerves of the passengers steaming along with the huge chimney of the engine in front, pouring from its capacious throat immense volumes of the carboniferous perfume, to say nothing of the endless groves of chimney-pots of Bermondsey and Deptford. Now, I grant at once, that it would be an intolerable nuisance to have a row of chimney pots stuck along the top of the parapet wall, on a level with the carriages, just high enough to whisk the incense in at the carriage windows. But there is no need for this evil; the company have built a thousand houses, good subs antal fire-proof houses, and having accomplished this, they can surely build a thousand chimnies high enough to carry the bon" over the heads of the passengers. As to the scientific stove that emits no smoke, 1 am sorely afraid that, as respects the interest of the proprietors, it will tur out to be altogether a bottle of smoke. A fire in a box might do very well on the banks of the Gauges, but will never suit the latitude of England. An Englishman likes an Englishman's fireside," without which his house to his mind is not a home. There is no difficulty whatever in making these arches into comfortable homes, in which state they would yield to the Company a steady permanent return, and without this large auxiliary source of profit. I am apprehensive that after the novelty, the nine days' wonder of the thing has passed our heads, when every body has had a ride, that the receipts will fall considerably short of the estimate set forth in the prospectus.

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I would further suggest the necessity of imme. diate'y establishing, especially at the London terminus, a regular communication with all parts of the town, by means of vans and omnibuses, so as to connect the railway with every part of London; the line of traffic is not so easily coaxed from its original channels. Judici ous management is required; that this management will be applied and succeed, is the earnest wish of Yours, &c. Pentonville.

GEORGE PONSFORD.

will be between Regulus and Eta in Leo, and the latter just leaving the upper part of the left paw of that constellation. Jupiter will also be in opposition to the Sun on the 2d, and Mars on the 6th of February. Moreover, these planets, by converse motion, will be in ecliptic conjunction on the 26th; Mars N. of Jupiter 30 17'. On the 19th of March Mars becomes stationary, and afterwards direct; when, meeting Jupiter, he forms a second conjunction with that planet on the 28th, passing N. of Jove 2o 16'. After this they will gradually separate, and by the 26th of May Mars will again pass N. of Regulus, at about 10 from that star. Hence, during February and March, they will not only prove interesting objects for the telescope, but also for the naked eye."

In the propriety of these remarks I fully concur; and being also of opinion, that it must be difficult to form a correct idea of these phenomena without graphic assistance, I have formed a sketch of the apparent paths of these planets, which is herewith submitted to your readers. Although it possesses little novelty, I trust it will be found of considerable utility, there being no British celestial map extant on which the paths can be readily delineated, except the enormous sheets lately published by the Useful Knowledge Society, and even on these the representation would be a disjointed and incomplete one, in consequence of its falling near the borders of two maps, where the distortion is extremely perplexing.

When alluding to these maps, I feel much inclined (but forbear) to go into a long detail respecting them. They have been several years on the anvil, so that the public had imagined their appearance was altogether abandoned. Since I saw the proofs four years ago, many corrections and improvements have been made; and the maps have been ushered into the world under the care of Professor de Morgan, whose companion volume con

UN LOCOMOTIVE LECTURERS.

Another attempt has just been made by the Court of Common Council, to remove the Gresham Lectures from that snug corner, over the north-eastern gate of the Royal Exchange, to which they are so devotedly attached for the very good reason, that its obscurity prevents their being very often annoyed by the presence of visitors. It was proposed, on the present occasion, to remove the scene of their labours to the New City of London Schools, on the site of Honey-lane Market; but, as on all previous occasions, the worthy Professors resolutely refused to move an inch, with one exception, in the person of Mr. Pullen, the recently elected Professor of Astronomy; and measures are now being taken to compel the unwelcome migration, if possible. The Professors allege, that they would be degraded by being attached to a mere school, and adduce, in proof of their great popularity, that the lectures, during the past year, have been attended by no fewer than 1,900 persons, out of the million and a half composing the population of London! Certes, the number does not appear very astonishing, when it is considered that, by Sir Thomas Gresham's will, there are to be two lectures read every day, during each term. It is high time that something should be done to render the establishment of some service. Whether that purpose would be best answered by a removal to the City of London School, may admit of question; but any thing is better than that matters should remain as they are.