97
1775—SO.]
•
Notwithstanding Mr. Wilson’s protest, Govern-ment determined on using pointed conductors; andthey were accordingly erected in the manner recom-mended by the Committee. Now it happened, unfor-tunately, that in May, 1777, the magazines at Purfleetwere struck by lightning and slightly injured, thoughthe powder was not exploded; and a house at Tenter-den, which was also furnished with pointed conduct-ors, was struck at the same time. These accidentsfurnished a great triumph to Mr. Wilson. The Boardof Ordnance addressed a letter to the Royal Society ,requesting their advice upon the occasion, and, afterconsiderable debate, a second Committee was ap-pointed, consisting of the President and Secretaries,and Messrs. Henley, Lane, and Nairne. These gen-tlemen, after having carefully examined the maga-zines, recorded their opinion unanimously in favourof pointed conductors.
Wilson now instituted a series of experiments, bywhich he came to the same conclusion as before,respecting the great advantages of blunt over pointedconductors. He drew up a long Paper, giving anaccount of these experiments, and sent it to the Boardof Ordnance, who referred it to the Royal Society .The reading of the Paper occupied the time of severalMeetings; when it was finished, a Committee, con-sisting of the Hon. Henry Cavendish , Mr. Henley, Mr.Lane, Lord Mahon , Mr. Nairne, Dr. Priestley, andDr. Watson, was appointed to test the author’s ex-periments, and the results contained in his Paper.
The Committee, as may be imagined, reportedagainst the conclusions; on which, Wilson, who appearsto have been greatly incensed at this new opinion infavour of Franklin’s pointed conductors, endeavoured
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