1To Benjamin Franklin from John Canton, 29 June 1764 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Your Favour of the 14th of March came to my Hands the 15th of May last, and gave me great pleasure. The first Experiment of Mr. Kinnersley’s which you mention, is, as you observe, a beautiful one to see; and I think, fully proves that the Fusion of Metals by Lightning is not a cold Fusion. I have myself, several times, melted small brass Wire by a Stroke...
2To Benjamin Franklin from John Canton, 31 October 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : The Royal Society Having procur’d some thin Glass Balls of about an Inch and a half in Diameter, with Stems, or Tubes of eight or nine Inches in length, I electrified them, some positively on the inside, and others negatively, after the manner of charging the Leyden Bottle, and sealed them hermetically. Soon after, I applied the naked Balls to my Electrometer, and could not discover the...
3To Benjamin Franklin from John Canton, 21 January 1762 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from The Royal Society, Philosophical Transactions , LII (1761–62), 457–61. Mr. Delaval, in his curious electrical experiments, found that Portland stone, common tobacco-pipe, &c. would readily conduct the electrical fluid, when very hot, or when quite cold; but were non-conductors in an intermediate state. As no one, that I know of, has yet attempted to account for...