CONTENTS

OP

VOLUME FIFTH.

POLITICAL PAPERS DURING AND AFTER THE AMERICAN

REVOLUTION.

Page

1

.

83

.

.

91
97

109

.

113

.

An Account of Negotiations in London for effecting a

Reconciliation between Great Britain and the

American Colonies

Vindication and offer from Congress to Parliament

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, proposed

in General Congress

Correspondence and Interview with Lord Howe

Protest against the Equality of Voting in Congress

Sketch of Propositions for a Peace

A Dialogue between Britain, France, Spain, Holland, Sax-

ony, and America

A Catechism relative to the English National Debt

Passports for Moravian Vessels, and for Captain Cook

Supplement to the Boston Independent Chronicle.

Public Addresses to Dr. Franklin, and bis Answers

Proposals for Consideration in the Convention for forming

the Constitution of the United States

Speech in the Convention ; on the Subject of Salaries

Speech in the Committee of the Convention ; on the Pro-

portion of Representation and Votes

Motion for Prayers in the Convention

Speech in the Convention, at the Conclusion of its Delib-

erations

116

120

122

125

137

.

A Comparison of the Conduct of the ancient Jews and of

the Antifederalists in the United States of America 158

Queries and Remarks respecting Alterations in the Consti-

tution of Pennsylvania

163

LETTERS AND PAPERS ON ELECTRICITY.

180

181

189

To PETER COLLINSON. 28 March, 1747.

Introductory Letter

T. PETER COLLINSON. il July, 1747.

Wonderful Effects of Points. - Positive and Nega-

tive Electricity. — Electrical Kiss. — Counterfeit

Spider. - Simple and commodious Electrical Ma-

chine

To Peter COLLINSON. 1 September, 1747.

Observations on the Leyden Bottle, with Experi-

ments proving the different Electrical State of its

different Surfaces

To PETER COLLINSON. 1748.

Farther Experiments confirming the preceding Ob-

servations. — Leyden Bottle analyzed. — Electri-

cal Battery. — Magical Picture. – Electrical Wheel

- Electrical Feast

To PETER COLLINSON.

Observations and Suppositions towards forming a

new Hypothesis for explaining the several Phe-

nomena of Thunder-gusts

To Peter COLLINSON. 27 July, 1750.

Accumulation of the Electrical Fire proved to be

in the electrified Glass. — Effect of Lightning on

the Needle of Compasses explained. - Gunpow-

der fired by the Electrical Flame

To PETER COLLINSON. 29 July, 1750.

Introductory Letter to some additional Papers

Opinions and Conjectures concerning the Properties and

Effects of the Electrical Matter, and the Means of

preserving Buildings, Ships, &c. from Lightning,

or Jack.

196

211

223

226

.

arising from Experiments and Observations made

at Philadelphia, 1749. — Golden Fish. — Extrac-

tion of Effluvial Virtues by Electricity impracticable 227

Additional Experiments ; proving that the Leyden Bot-

tle has no more Electrical Fire in it when charged,

than before ; nor less when discharged ; that, in

discharging, the Fire does not issue from the Wire

and the Coating at the same Time, as some have

thought, but that the Coating always receives what

is discharged by the Wire, or an equal Quantity;

the outer surface being always in a Negative State

of Electricity, when the inner Surface is in a Posi-

tive State

253

To James Bowdown, at Boston. 25 October, 1750.

Enclosing Papers on Electricity

255

To A FRIEND IN Boston. 25 December, 1750.

Account of an Accident while making an Electrical

Experiment

255

TO JAMES BOW DOIN.

5 September, 1751.

Introducing Mr. Kinnersley as a Lecturer on Elec-

tricity

257

To CADWALLADER COLDEN. 1751.

Unlimited Nature of the Electric Force.

258

Queries and Answers referred to in the foregoing Letter.

The Terms “Electric per se

” and “ Non-elec-

tric” improper. – New Relation between Metals

and Water. - Effects of Air in Electrical Experi-

ments. Experiment for discovering more of the

Qualities of the Electric Fluid .

259

James Bowdown to B. FRANKLIN. 21 Dec. 1751.

On the Causes of the crooked Direction of Light-

ning. — Objections to the Hypothesis that the Sea

is the Source of Lightning. – On the Swiftness of

the Electrical Fire

263

To James Bowdoin. 24 January, 1752.

Observations on the Subjects of the preceding Let-

ter.

Reasons for supposing the Sea to be the

grand Source of Lightning. - Reasons for doubting

.

.

.

.

.

this Hypothesis. — Improvement in a Globe for

raising the Electric Fire

269

E. KINNERSLEY TO B. FRANKLIN. 3 February, 1752.

New Experiments. — Paradoxes inferred from them.

— Difference in the Electricity of a Globe of Glass

charged, and a Globe of Sulphur. - Difficulty of

ascertaining which is positive and which negative 273

To E. KINNERSLEY. 2 March, 1752.

Probable Cause of the different Attractions and

Repulsions of the two Electrified Globes mentioned

in the preceding Letter

275

JAMES BOWDOIN TO B. FRANKLIN. 2 March, 1752.

Effect of Lightning on Captain Waddel's Compass,

and on the Dutch Church at New York.

276

James Bowdown To B. Franklin. 16 March, 1752.

Remarks on Dr. Colden's Letter respecting the

Electricity of the Clouds

279

To E. KINNERSLEY. 16 March, 1752.

Reasons for supposing that the Glass Globe charges

positively, and the Sulphur negatively. — Hint re-

specting a Leather Globe for Experiments when

travelling

280

To CADWALLADER COLDEN. 23 April, 1752.

Mistake, that only Metals and Water were Con-

ductors, rectified. - Supposition of a Region of

Electric Fire above our Atmosphere. — Theorem

concerning Light. - Poke-weed a Cure for Cancers 283

M. DALIBARD's Account of an Electrical Experiment at

Marly

288

ABBÉ MAZÉAS TO Stephen Hales. 20 May, 1752.

Giving a further Account of the Electrical Experi-

ment at Marly

293

To Peter Collinson. 19 October, 1752.

Electrical Kite

295

W. WATSON TO THE Royal Society. 21 Dec. 1752.

Concerning the Electrical Experiments in England

upon Thunder-clouds

296

To James BowDOIN. 12 April, 1753.

On the Mode of coating Electrical Jars

299

.

.

To Peter COLLINSON. September, 1753.

Hypothesis of the Sea being the grand Source of

Lightning retracted. - Positive, and sometimes

negative, Electricity of the Clouds discovered. -

New Experiments and Conjectures in Support of

this Discovery. - Observations recommended for

ascertaining the Direction of the Electric Fluid. -

Size of Rods for Conductors to Buildings. — Ap-

pearance of a Thunder-cloud described .

300

To PETER COLLINSON. 23 November, 1753.

Notice of another Packet of Letters

314

Proposal of an Experiment to measure the Time taken

up by an Electric Spark in moving through any

given Space. By James Alexander, of New York 315

Answer to the Foregoing

317

Remarks on the Abbé Nollet's Letters to Benjamin

Franklin on Electricity. By David Colden, of

New York. 4 December, 1753

319

Electrical Experiments, with an Attempt to account for

their several Phenomena. Together with some

Observations on Thunder-clouds, in further Confirm-

ation of Mr. Franklin's Observations on the Posi-

tive and Negative Electrical State of the Clouds.

By John Canton. 6 December, 1753

330

To James Bowdoin. 13 December, 1753.

Concerning the Light emitted by Salt Water. -

The Abbé Nollet's Letters on Electricity

337

To PETER COLLINSON. 18 April, 1754.

Additional Proofs of the Positive and Negative

State of Electricity in the Clouds. - New Method

of ascertaining it

340

Experiments made in Pursuance of those made by Mr.

Canton, dated December 6th, 1753; with Explan-

ations, by Benjamin Franklin. 14 March, 1755 . 341

Turkey killed by Electricity. — Effect of a Shock on

the Operator in making the Experiment

346

To John LINING. 18 March, 1755.

Differences in the Qualities of Glass. — Account

VOL. V.

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