candles, just blown out, by drawing a spark among the smoke between
the wire and snuffers. We represent lightning by passing the wire in
the dark over a China plate that has gilt flowers, or applying it to
gilt frames of looking-glasses, etc. We electrize a person twenty or
more times running, with a touch of the finger on the wire, thus: He
stands on wax. Give him the electrized bottle in his hand. Touch the
wire with your finger and then touch his hand or face; there are
sparks every time. We increase the force of the electrical kiss
vastly, thus: Let _A_ and _B_ stand on wax, or _A_ on wax and _B_ on
the floor; give one of them the electrized vial in hand; let the
other take hold of the wire; there will be a small spark; but when
their lips approach they will be struck and shocked. The same if
another gentleman and lady, _C_ and _D_, standing also on wax, and
joining hands with _A_ and _B_, salute or shake hands. We suspend by
fine silk thread a counterfeit spider made of a small piece of burnt
cork, with legs of linen thread, and a grain or two of lead stuck in
him to give him more weight. Upon the table, over which he hangs, we
stick a wire upright, as high as the vial and wire, four or five
inches from the spider; then we animate him by setting the
electrical vial at the same distance on the other side of him; he
will immediately fly to the wire of the vial, bend his legs in
touching it, then spring off and fly to the wire of the vial,
playing with his legs against both, in a very entertaining manner,
appearing perfectly alive to the persons unacquainted. He will
continue this motion an hour or more in dry weather. We electrify,
upon wax in the dark, a book that has a double line of gold round
upon the covers, and then apply a knuckle to the gilding; the fire
appears everywhere upon the gold like a flash of lightning; not upon
the leather, nor if you touch the leather instead of the gold. We
rub our tubes with buckskin and observe always to keep the same side
to the tube and never to sully the tube by handling; thus they work
readily and easily without the least fatigue, especially if kept in
tight pasteboard cases lined with flannel, and sitting close to the
tube. This I mention because the European papers on electricity
frequently speak of rubbing the tubes as a fatiguing exer