Common English design of frictional electrical machine with globe and brass box for the gear mechanism and rackwork. The cushion arrangement, however, is unusual and may be due to a slightly later alteration made in the Museo di Fisica e Storia Naturale workshop. The machine is secured to the mahogany base between two glass uprights supporting a wooden cross-piece. Two leather cushions rub the glass at opposite sides. Both are supported by a flexible brass strip. The separate prime conductor, supported on a glass stand, consists of a long brass cylinder with a flattened knob at each end. The charge is transmitted by means of three sharp collecting points (stand and points are modern replacements). Provenance: Lorraine collections.