moon and stars; and will continue to shine for
about half an hour, their splendour becoming gradually more faint.

_The Fiery Shower._

On the plate put a number of any kind of seeds, grains of sand, or
brass dust. The conductor being strongly electrified, those light
particles will be attracted and repelled by the plate suspended from
the conductor, with amazing rapidity, so as to exhibit a perfect fiery
shower.

Another way is by a sponge that has been soaked in water. When this
sponge is first hung to the conductor, the water will drop from it
very slowly; but when it is electrified, the drops will fall very
fast, and appear like small globes of fire, illuminating the basin
into which they fall.

_The Illuminated Vacuum._

Take a tall receiver that is very dry, and fix through the top of it,
with cement, a blunt wire; then exhaust the receiver, and present the
knob of the wire to the conductor, and every spark will pass through
the vacuum in a broad stream of light, visible through the whole
length of the receiver, let it be as tall as it will. This generally
divides into a variety of beautiful rivulets, which are continually
changing their course, uniting and dividing again in the most pleasing
manner.

If a jar be discharged through this vacuum, it presents the appearance
of a very dense body of fire, darting directly through the centre of
the vacuum, without touching the sides; whereas, when a single spark
passes through, it generally goes more or less to the side, and a
finger placed on the outside of the glass will draw it wherever a
person pleases. If the vessel be grasped by both hands, every spark is
felt like the pulsation of a large artery; and all the fire makes
towards the hands. This pulsation is even felt at some distance from
the receiver, and a light is seen between the hand and the glass.

All this while, the pointed wire is supposed to be electrified
positively; if it be electrified negatively, the appearance is
astonishingly different; instead of streams of fire, nothing is seen
but one uniform luminous appearance, like a white cloud, or the _milky
way_ in a clear star-light night. It seldom reaches the whole length
of the vessel, but generally appears only at the end of the wire, like
a lucid ball.

If a small phial be inserted in the neck of a small receiver, so that
the external surface of the glass be exposed to the vacuum, it will
produce a very beautiful appearance. The phial