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Charles. I have heard of these, but I thought that water-spouts at sea, and whirlwinds and hurricanes by land, were produced solely by the force of the wind.

Tutor. The wind is, undoubtedly, one of the causes, but it will not account for every appearance connected with them. Water-spouts are often seen in calm weather, when the sea seems to boil, and send up a smoke under them, rising in a sort of hill towards the spout. A rumbling noise is often heard at the time of their appearance, which happens generally in those months that are peculiarly subject to thunder-storms, and they are commonly ac companied or followed by lightning. When these approach a ship, the sailors present and brandish their swords to disperse them, which seems to favour the conclusion, that they are electrical.

James. Do the swords act as conductors?

Tutor. They may, certainly; and it is known that by these pointed instruments they have been effectually dispersed.

The analogy between the phenomena of water-spouts, and electricity, may be made visible by hanging a drop of water to a wire, communicating with the prime conductor, and placing a vessel of water under it. In these circumstances, the drop assumes all the various appearances of a water-spout, in its rise, form, and mode of disappearing.

Water-spouts, at sea, are undoubtedly very like whirlwinds and hurricanes by land. These sometimes tear up trees, throw down buildings, make caverns; and, in all the cases, they scatter the earth, bricks, stones, timber, &c. to a great distance in every direction. Dr. Franklin, mentions a remarkable appearance which occurred to Mr. Wilke, a consdierable electrician. On the 20th of July, 1758, at three o'clock in the afternoon, he observed a great quantity of dust rising from the ground, and covering a field, and part of the town in which he then was. There was no wind, and the dust moved gently

towards the east, where there appeared a great black cloud, which electrified his apparatus positively to a very high degree. This cloud went towards the west, the dust followed it, and continued to rise higher and higher, till it composed a thick pillar, in the form of a sugar loaf, and at length it seemed to be in contact with the cloud. At some distance from this, there came another great cloud, with a long stream of smaller ones which electrified his apparatus negatively, and when they came near the positive cloud, a flash of lightning was seen to dart through the cloud of dust, upon which the negative clouds spread very much, and dissolved in rain, which presently cleared the atmosphere.

Charles. Is rain then an electrical phenomenon?

Tutor. The most enlightened and best informed electricians reckon rain, hail, and snow, among the effects produced by the electric fluid.

The analogy between the phenomena of water-spouts, and electricity, may be made visible by hanging a drop of water to a wire, communicating with the prime conductor, and placing a vessel of water under it. In these circumstances, the drop assumes all the various appearances of a water-spout, in its rise, form, and mode of disappearing.

Water-spouts, at sea, are undoubtedly very like whirlwinds and hurricanes by land. These sometimes tear up trees, throw down buildings, make caverns; and, in all the cases, they scatter the earth, bricks, stones, timber, &c. to a great distance in every direction. Dr. Franklin, mentions a remarkable appearance which occurred to Mr. Wilke, a consdierable electrician. On the 20th of July, 1758, at three o'clock in the afternoon, he observed a great quantity of dust rising from the ground, and covering a field, and part of the town in which he then was. There was no wind, and the dust moved gently

lightning strikes the earth in two opposite places.

James. I wonder the discharge does not shake the earth, as the charge of a jar does any thing through which it passes.

Tutor. Every discharge of clouds through the earth may do this, though it is imperceptible to us.

Earthquakes are probably occasioned by vast discharges of the electric fluid: they happen most frequently in dry and hot countries, which are subject to lightning, and other electric phenomena: they are even foretold by the electric coruscations, and other appearances in the air for some days preceding the event. Besides, the shock of an earthquake is instantaneous to the greatest distances. Earthquakes are usually accompanied with rain, and sometimes by the most dreadful thunder

storms :

How greatly terrrible how dark and deep
The purposes of Heaven! At once o'erthrown,

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