. The New England magazine . given up to the study of electricalphenomena. He says : For my own part, I never was before en-gaged in any studies that so totally engrossed myattention and time, for what with making experi-ments when I can be alone, and repeating themto my friends and acquaintances, who, from thenovelty of the thing, come continually in crowds to see them, I have, during some months past,had little leisure for anything else. From this time on for several years, hisletters to ColHnson are filled with wonder-fully clear details of numberless experi-ments coupled with brilliant ded
. The New England magazine . given up to the study of electricalphenomena. He says : For my own part, I never was before en-gaged in any studies that so totally engrossed myattention and time, for what with making experi-ments when I can be alone, and repeating themto my friends and acquaintances, who, from thenovelty of the thing, come continually in crowds to see them, I have, during some months past,had little leisure for anything else. From this time on for several years, hisletters to ColHnson are filled with wonder-fully clear details of numberless experi-ments coupled with brilliant deductionsand speculations of a scientific nature. 32 EARLY HISTORY OF ELECTRICITY IN AMERICA. Here, in this offhand, private corres-pondence, Franklin sets forth the doc-trine which was to change permanentlythe course of electrical science, and de-scribes the most remarkable electricalexperiment that was ever tried. Through Collinson, accounts of Frank-lins work were laid from time to timebefore the Royal Society, where, how-. Moses G. Farmer. ever, they excited little favorable atten-tion, and in some instances suggestion of the possibility ofrendering lightning discharges harmless byconducting them through an easy mediumto the earth was the subject of specialhilarity on the part of Collinsons learnedassociates. Collinson himself seems tohave held his friends labors in highesteem. At all events, through himFranklins letters were published in Lon-don, though without the authoritative in-script of the Royal Society. In thisform, or, rather, in the form of a bad French translation, they came under theeye of the celebrated French naturalistand philosopher, Buffon, who at oncesaw their value, and advised that anaccurate translation be made. And thereputation which Franklin thus, and byhis later scientific work, acquired in Francecontributed not a little to his influence inafter years when he appeared at theCourt of Louis the Sixteenthin the role of a diplomat. It w
Size: 1371px × 1821px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidnewenglandma, bookyear1887
