would act against it on one side, while they acted against the Air on the other.

30. These thin Parts of the Plate being at the same instant partly in fusion, and partly so softned as to be near it, the softned Parts were push'd outwards, a Hole made, and some of the melted Parts blown away; hence there was not left Metal enough to re-fill the Vacancy by bending back the ragged Parts to their Places.

31. The concave Impressions of the hammer, being indifferently made on both sides of the Plate, it is natural, from 28, 29, 30, that the Pushing outwards of the softned Metal by Explosions, should be on both sides of the Plate in a proportion nearly equal.

32. That the Force of a simple electric Explosion is very great, appears from the Geneva Experiment, wherein a Spark between two Wires, under Oil in a drinking-Glass, breaks the Glass, Body, Stem, and Foot, all to Shivers.

33. The electric Explosion of Metal acts with still more Force. A Strip of Leaf-Gold no broader than a Straw, exploded between two Pieces of thick looking-Glass, will break the Glass to Pieces, tho' confin'd by the Screws of a strong Press. And between two Pieces of Marble press'd together by a Weight of 20 Pounds, will lift that Weight. Much less Force is necessary to move the melted and softned Parts of a thin Plate of Copper.

34. This Explication of the Appearances on the Vane is drawn from what we already know of Electricity and the Effects of Lightning. The learned Author of the Account gives a different but very ingenious one, which he draws from the Appearances themselves. The Matter push'd out of the Holes is found, that of some on one side of the Plate,

and of others on the other. Hence he supposes them to be occasion'd (if I understand him rightly) by Streams or Threads of Electric Matter of different and contrary kinds, rushing violently towards each other, and meeting with the Vane, so accidentally placed, as to be found precisely in the Place of their Meeting, where it was pierc'd by all of them, they all striking on both its Sides at the same instant. This however is so extraordinary an Accident, as to be in the Author's own opinion almost miraculous; "Passeranno" (says he) "forse più secoli prima que ritorni tralle infinite combinazioni un caso simile a quello della banderuola che ora abbiamo per mano. Forza è que si esaurisca una non più udita miniera di fulmini sopra una grande città, pressoque seminata di campanili e di banderuole, il che è rarissimo; e può ancora più volte ciò succedere, senza che s' incontri giammai un altra banderuola tanto opportunatamente situata tra i limiti della fulminea explosione."

35. But, tho' the Author's Explication of these Appearances of the Vane does not satisfy me, I am not so confident of my own as to propose its being accepted without Confirmation by Experiment. Those who have strong electric Batteries may try it thus; form a little Vane of Paper, and spot it on both sides by attaching small Pieces of Leaf-Gold or Tinfoil, not exactly opposite to each other; then send the whole Force of the Battery thro' the Vane, entring at one End of it and going out at the other. If the Metal explodes, I imagine it will be found to make Holes in the Paper, forcing the torn Parts out on the Side opposite to the Metal. more expensive but perhaps more satisfactory Experiment would be, to make a new Vane as exactly as possible like that in question, in all the Particulars of its Description, and place

A

it on a tall Mast fix'd on some Hill subject to Strokes of Lightning, with a better Conductor to the Earth than the Wood of the Mast; if this should be struck in the Course of a few Years, and the same Effects appear upon it, it would be still more miraculous to suppose it happen'd by Accident to be exactly situated where those crossing threads of different Electricities were afterwards to meet.

36. The Perforation of Glass Bottles when overcharg'd is, I imagine, a different case, and not explicable by either of these Hypotheses. I cannot well suppose the Breach to be occasion'd by the Passage of Electricity thro' it; since a single Bottle, tho' so broken in the Discharge, always is found to send round in its usual Course the Quantity with which it was charged. Then the Breach never happens but at the Instant of the circuitous Discharge, either by the discharging Rod, or in overleaping the Borders of the Glass. Thus, I have been present when a Battery of twenty Glasses was discharg'd by the discharging Rod, and produc'd the same Effect in its Circuit as if the bottles had none of them been pierced; and yet, on examining them, we found no less than twelve of them in that Situation. Now, all the Bottles of the Battery being united by a Communication of all the Outsides together, and of all the Insides together, if one of them had been pierc'd by a forc'd Passage of the different kinds of Electricity to meet each other, before the Discharge by the discharging Rod, it would not only have prevented the Passage of the Electricity by the common Circuit, but it would have sav'd all the rest of its Fellows, by conducting the whole thro' its own Breach. And it is not easy to conceive that 12 Bottles in 20 should be so equally strong as to support the whole Strength of their Charge, till the Circuit of their

Discharge was opened, and then be so equally weak as to break all together when the Weight of that Charge was taken off from them by opening the Circuit. At some other time I will give you my Opinion of this Effect, if you desire it.

I have taken the Acct of this Stroke of Lightning from an Italian Piece, intitled Analisi d' un nuovo Fenomeno del Fulmine, the dedication of which is subscribed Carlo Barletti, delle Scuole Pie, who I suppose is the Author. As I do not perfectly understand that Language, I may possibly in some things have mistaken that Philosopher's Meaning. I therefore desire, my dear Friend, that you would not permit this to be published, till you have compar'd and considered it with that original Piece, and communicated to me your Remarks and Corrections. Nor would I in any Case have it appear with my Name, as perhaps it may occasion Disputes, and I have no time to attend to them.

866. TO RALPH IZARD'

(A. P. S.)

DEAR SIR,

Passy, Jan. 29, 1778

I received yours late last Evening. Present Circumstances which I will explain to you when I have the Hon' of seeing you, prevent my giving it a full Answer now. The Reasons

1 Ralph Izard (1742-1804), a South Carolinian, was appointed by Congress United States Commissioner to the court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. He did not go to Florence, but remained in Paris during the whole period of his appointment. He was there while the treaty of alliance was in the progress of negotiation, and he considered himself improperly overlooked in not being consulted as to certain parts of the treaty by the other commissioners. He wrote a complaining letter on the subject to Dr. Franklin, to which the above is an answer. His letter is in D. S. W., and is printed in the “Diplomatic Correspondence" (Sparks), Vol. II, p. 372. — ED.

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you offer had before been all under Consideration; but I must submit to remain some days under the Opinion you appear to have form'd not only of my poor Understanding in the general Interests of America, but of my Defects in Sincerity, Politeness & Attention to your Instructions. These offences I flatter myself will admit of fair Excuses [or rather will be found not to have existed].' You mention, that you feel yourself hurt. Permit me to offer you a Maxim, which has thro' Life been of Use to me & may be so to you in preventing such imaginary Hurts. It is, always to suppose one's Friends may be right till one finds them wrong; rather than to suppose them wrong till one finds them right. You have heard and imagined all that can be said or suppos'd on one side of the Question, but not on the other. I am nevertheless, with sincere Esteem, dear Sir, etc.

You desired, that if I had no Propositions to make, I would at least give my Advice. I think it is Ariosto who says, that

1 Thus in Sparks; the passage in brackets is not found in the draft in A. P. S.-ED.

2 James Hutton (1715-1795) was the son of the Rev. John Hutton, a nonjuring clergyman. He was a bookseller, having a shop at the Bible and Sun, west of Temple Bar. He corresponded with Count Zinzendorf, and became an active leader in the Moravian Church. He was greatly interested in the missionary labors of the church, and was one of the founders of the Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel. See “Memoir ” by Daniel Benham. W. T. Franklin said of him: "He was a faithful brother of the