Place an electrised phial on wax; a small cork-ball suspended by a
dry silk thread held in your hand, and brought near to the wire,
will first be attracted, and then repelled: when in this state of
repellency, sink your hand, that the ball may be brought towards
the bottom of the bottle; it will be there instantly and strongly
attracted, till it has parted with its fire.
If the bottle had a _positive_ electrical atmosphere, as well as the
wire, an electrified cork would be repelled from one as well as from
the other.
[Illustration: (of the experiments below)
_Plate I._ _Vol. I. page 182._
_Published as the Act directs, April 1, 1806, by Longman, Hurst, Rees
& Orme, Paternoster Row._]