New Bleftrical Apparatus. 119
Ix,
ccount of the new Eleirical or Geloonie Apparates of Sig. Avax. Votre, and Experinints
performed with the fame W. Ne
Fraom motives of deticacy to the inventor of the moft curious and important combina
tion hereafter tobe deferibed, I forbore giving an account of its conttru€tion and effeéts in
the lalt number of this Journal, though it has now been 2 fubjeét of gréat attention among
philofophers for near twormonths: It appeared proper to avoid the publication of fa€ts,
originally flowing from the liberal communication of the worthy prefident of the Royal
Society, until the paper of the inventor had been read to that learned body ; ‘and; this could
not be done till very lately, hecaufe the latter part of his’ memoir did not arrive till long.
after the firfk four pages.” 5
‘The Right Honourable Sir J. Banks, Bart. P-R.S. having favored my fiend Anthony
Carlifle, Efq. with the perufal and confideration of thefe four pages at the latter ead of Iaft
April, Thad the pleafure to look them over with him, iinmediately after which he con-
ftrudted an inflrument according to Sig. Volta’s diretions. The experiments made with
this will form part of the prefent communication ; but in the firtt place, I fhall endeavour
to-relate the leading particulars of the communication made to the Royal Society, which
no doubt will hereafter appear at large in their Tranfaétions. . ”
The portion of létter which firft-arrived from Sig. Volta, is dated from Como in thé
Milanele, Marchi 20, 1800.- This, together withithe fubfequent parts, contains a detailed
account of the inflrument, of whith the following is one of the moft convenient farms.
‘Take any namber of plates of copper, or which is better of Glver, and an equal-number
of tin, or which is much better, zing and a like number of difce, or pieces of card or
Teather, or cloth *, or any porous fubftance capable of retaining moifture, Let thefe laft
‘be foaked in pute water; or which’ is better, falt and water, or alkalinelees. The filver or
copper thay be: pieces'of money +. Build up a pile of thefe pieces; namely, a piece of.
filver, a piece.of zinc, and» piece of wet card: then another piece of Giver, a piece of.
zinc, anda piece of wet card: and fo forth, in the feme order (or any other ordei, pro-
vided-the pieces {ucceed exch other in their turn) till the whole number intended to be
made ule of is builded up. ‘The inftrument is then completed.
In this ftate it will afford a perpetual current of eleétricity, through any conduétor com-
muhicating between its upper and lower plates and if this conduétor be an‘animal, it will.
receive an eleétrical thock as often 2s the touch is made, by which the circuit is com-~
¥ Woollen or linen cloth appear tobe more durable, andinore(peedily foaked thaw card,
“Moke of our philofophets have uled half crowns for the flver plates, ‘The zine. may be bought at,
$d. perib. atthe White Lion in Foer Lane, and cat in moulds of ftone or chalky A pound maker
‘twenty thick pieces ofthe diameter of half a crown, oF 1.5 inches diimeter, :
. Aaa pleted,180 New Eleirical or Galeanie Apparatus.
pleted, Thus if one hand be applied to the lower plate, and the other to tlie upper, the
operator will receive a thock, and that as often as he pleafes to lift his finger and put it
down again.
‘This thock referibles the weak charge of a battery of immenfe furface, and its intenfity
is fo low, that it cannot make its way through the dry thin, It is, therefore, neceffary
that a large furface of each hand thould be well wetted, and a piece of metal be grafped in
cach, in order to make the touch, or elfé that the two extremities of the pile fhould come
municate with feparate veilels of water, in which the hands may be plunged.
‘The commotion is ftronger the more numerous the pieces. Twenty pieces will give a
fhock in the arms, if the above precautions be attended to, One hundred pieces may be
felt to the thoulders. The current of cleétricity aéts on the animal fyftem while the
circuit is complete, as well as during the inftant of commotion, and the aétion is abomi-
nably painful at any place where the fkin is broken.
‘That the energy of the apparatus is the effeét of an eleétric flream or current, is
proved by the condenfer with which Sig. V. afcertained the kind of the eleéricity and
obtained its fpark, He finds the a€tion frongeft, or moft pungent, on wounds on the
minus fide of the apparatus, or whiere the wounds give out eleétricity, a fat alfo ob-
fervable in the common eleétric fpark. .
- The theory of the learned inventor, if I rightly apprehend him, is, that it is a property
of fuch bodies as differ in their power of conduéting eleétricity, that when they are
brought into eontaét they will occafion a (tram of the eledtric matter. So that if zine
and filver be made to communicate immediately by contatt, there will be a place of good
conduéting energy and if they be. made to communicate mediately by means of water,
there will be a place of inferior conduéting energy : and wherever this happens there will
beaitream or current produced in the general ftock of eleétricity. This is not deduced
as the confequence of other fore fimple fats; but is laid down as a general or fimple
principle grounded oa the phenomena.
As the current of eleétricity will be refifted by the different conduéters, he remarks that
the metals may touch. in a fingle point, or be foldered together 5 but that the humid farfaces
muft be more extended.
By many experiments, he Gnds that the confequenees are the fame whether the zine and
filver touch each other, or whether the communication be made by feveral different
metals, provided the water be in contaét with the zinc and the filver only. .
‘Where zinc is ufed, falt water is preferable to alkaline lees, but the contrary when tin
is made ufe of inftead of the zinc,
‘The effect is much increafed by elevation of temperature,
He was furprized to find that the galvanic fath of light was no greater with this apparatus
than with a pair of plates; but it was produced when the conduétor of the circuit was
applied to any part of the face, or ever'to the breatt. The. ftrongeft aétion was when.
the touching plate was held between the teeth, fo as to lie upon the tongue. In this cafe
4 theNew Eletbvical or Galvanic Apparatus, 384
the lips and tongue were couvulfed, the flafh appeated before the eyes, and the tafte was
perceived in the mouth.
‘Two blunt probes were inferted in,the ears, and the thock paffed through the head,
after which the communication was kept up. A peculiar found, like crackling or boiling,
‘was heard ; but the author did not think it prudent to make this experiment repeatedly.
‘The fenfe of fmell could not be excited, becaufe, as Sig. V. remarks, this eleétricity
cannot be made to diffe itfelf in the air.
‘As the difes become dry, and lofe their power, Sig. V. endeavoured to prevent this
effect by inclofing the columa in wax or pitch, and in this he has fo far ficceeded, that
he has fitted up two columns of twenty pieces each, which have aéted well for fome weeks,
and he hopes will for months. .
‘The combination, which he thinks the mofl inftrudtive, confifts of a row of glaffes or
cups (nog of metal) containing warm water or brine. Into each of thefe is plunged a plate
of zine and another of fiver, not touching each other, From thefe plates refpettively pro-
‘ceed taile or prolongations, which communicate with or touch the plates of the outer glaffes
in fuch a manner, that the zinc of the firtt cup communicates with the fiver of the
fecond ; the zinc of the fecond with the filver of the third the zinc of the third, &c.
progreflively and regularly through the whole row. ‘The communication between the firft
and laft glaifes gives the fhock, &c. The plates in the fuid are direéted to be about an
inch fquare; but the contaéts above the water may be as {mall as the operator pleafes.
‘Volta makes honourable mention of my conje€tural theory of the torpedo *. After
remarking that my induétions were the moft probable that the exifting theory of ele@triciy.
could at that time afford, he proceeds to make various objeétions needlefs to be here
derailed, and then offers his own new and ftriking apparatus as more nearly refembling the
torpedinal organ. I need not anticipate the reader in the happy points of refemblance
between their ftru€ture and effects.
‘Thus far I have followed this able philofophers who, to his: former refearches into the
nature and laws of eie@tricity, has now added a difcovery which mult for ever remove the
doubt whether galvanifm ‘be an eleétrical phenomenon, But I cannot here look back
without fome furprize, and obferve that the chemical phenomena of galvanifm, which:
had-been much 'fo infifted on by Fabbroni t, more efpecially the rapid oxidation of the
rine, thould conftitute no part of his numerous obfervations.
On the goth of April, Mr. Carliflehad provided a pile confifting of 17 half crowns, with
alike number of pieces of zinc, and of pafteboard, foaked in falt water. Thefe were
arranged in the order of filver, zine card, 8c. which order I fhall denote by faying, that the
filver was undermoft, that is to fay, under the zine; and I make this remark becaufe fome
philofophers have ufed the expreffion that the filver was undermoft when they ufed the
order of Gilver, card zine, &c. which, as the reader will eafily perceive, is contrary to the”
order here Spoken of. This is of no confequence to the effeé; though it is material to a
* Philofophical Journal, I, 3584 + Philofophical Journal, IV. x20
clear182, Experiments with a necs EleGrical or Galvanic Apparatus.
clear underftanding of the terms we ufe. This pile gave us the thock as before defcribed,
‘and a very acute fenfation wherever the fkin was broken. Our firt refearch was direfted
fo afeertain that the fhock we felt was really an ele€trical phenomenon. For this purpofe
the pile was placed upon Bennett’s gold leaf eleStrometer, and a wire was then made to
comamunicate from the top of the pile to the metallic ftand or foot of the inftrument. So
that the circuit of the hock would have been through the leaves, if they had diverged.
But no Ggns of eleétricity appeared. Recourfe was then had to che revolving doubler,
Acleribed at page 95 of our prefent volume. The plate A was conneéted with the top of
the eleGtrometer and the fiver end of the piles and the plate B and ball were made to
touch the top of the fyltem by an uninfulated brafs wire. The doubler had been previoufly
cleared of eledtricity by twenty turns in conneétiosi with the earth. ‘The negative diverg-
ence was produced in the cle€trometer. Repeated experiments of this kind thewed that
the filver end was in the minus, and the zine end in the pius ftate.
In all chefe expefiments it was obferved, that the a@ion of the inflrument was freely
tranfmitted through the ufual condudtors of elcétricity, but topped by glafs and other
non-condudtors,- Very early ia this courfe, the contaéts being made fere by placing a
drop of water’ upon the upper plate, Mr. Carlifle obferved a difengagement of gas round the
touching wire. This gas, though very minute in quantity, evidently feemed to me to have
tthe fmell afforded by hydrogen when the wire of communication was feel. This, with
fome other faéts, led me to propofe to break the circuit by the (ubftitution of a tube of
water between two wires. On the 2d of May we, therefore, inferted a brafs wite through
each of two corks inferted in a glafs- tube of half an inch internal diameter. The tube
was filled with New river water, and the diftance between the points of the wires in the
‘water was one inch and three quarters. ‘This compound di(charger was applied fo that the
external ends of its wire were in contaét wich the two extreme plates of @ pile of thircy-fix
_ half crowns with the correfpondent pieces of zinc and pafteboard. A fine ftream of minute
bubbles immediately began'to flow from: the point of the lower wire in the tube, which
‘communicated with the filver, and the oppolite point of the upper wire became tarnithed,
firft deep orange, and then black. | On reverfing the tube, the gas came from the other
point, which was now loweft, while-the upper in its turn became tamifhed and black..
Reverfing the tube again, the phenomena again changed their order. In this ftate the
whole was left for two hours and a half, ‘The upper wire gradually emitted whitith filmy,
clouds, which, towards the end of the procefsy became of a pea green colour, and hung in.
perpendicular threads from the extreme half inch of the wire, the water being rendered fe~
mi-opaque by what fell off, and in a great part lay, of a pale green, on the lower furface of
the tube, which, in this difpotition of the apparatus, was inclined about forty degrees to.
the horizon, ‘The lower wire of three quarters of an iach long, conftantly emitted gas,
exeopt when another circuit, or coinplete wite, was applied to,the apparatus ; during which
time the emifion of gas was fufpended. When this lat mentioned wite was removed, the,
gas te- e-appested as before, mot inftantly, but after the lapfe of four beats of a half fecond
. clockExperiments with a new EleGrical or Galvanic Apparatus. 383
clock ftanding in the rom.-. The produét of gas, during the whole two hours and a half,
was two-thirtieths of a cubic inch. It was then mixed with an equal quantity of common
air, and exploded by the application of a lighted waxed thread.
Tr might feem almoft unneceifiry to have reverfed the order of the pile fa building up, as
everling the tube mutt have anfwered exa€tly the'fame purpofe. We chofe, however, to
do this, and found that when the zine was at the bottom, its effeéts were reverfed, that is to
fay, the gas ftill came fromthe wire communicating with the filver, 8c.
We had been led by our reafening on the frit appearance of hydrogen to expeét a dé«
compofition of the waters but it was with no little furprize that we found the hydroget
extricated at the-contadt with one wite, while the oxigen fixed itfelf in combination with ”
the other wire at the diftance of almoft two inches, ‘This new fat (till remains to be ex-
plained, ‘and feems to point at fome genéral law of the agency of eleétricity in chemical
operations. As the diftance between the wires formed a ftriking feature in this refult, it
‘became defirable to afcertain whether it would take place to greater diftances, “When a
tube three quarters of an iach in diameter, and thirty-ix inches ong, was made uie of,
the effeat failed, though the very fame wires, inferted into a’ thorier tube, operated very
britkly, ‘The (olicitation of other objets of enquiry prevented trial being made of all che
various intermediate diftancess but from the general tenor of experiments, it appears to
be eltablithed, that this decompofition is more effeétiual the lefs the diftance between the
wires, but that it ceafes altogether when the wires come into contaét: oo
‘May 6.—Mr. Canlifle repeated the expérinient with copper wires and tinGlure of litmus.
‘The oxidating wire; namely, from’ the zinc fide, was the lowelt.ia the tubes it changed
the tin@lure red in about ten ‘minutes as high as the upper’ extremity of the wire.” The
other portion remained blue. Hence it feems either an acid was formed, or that a portion
of the oxigen combined with the litmus, fo as produce the effect of an acid. .
Te may be “here offered as a general remark, that the eleGtric pile with card, or with
woollen cloth, continues ia order for about two days, or fearcely threes that from a feries of
glaffes fet up by Mrs Carlile, as. well as from the pile itfelf, it appears that: the fame
procels of decomposition of water is carried on between each pair of plates,’ the zinc being
oxided on the wet face, and hydrogen given outs that the-common falt is decompofed,
and exhibits an eflorefcence of foda round the edges of the pile, extruded, moft probably,
by the hydrogen: and that on account of the corrofion of the faces of the zinc, it is
neceffary to renew them previous to éach conftruétion of the pile, This may be done by
feraping or grinding. I found it moft convenient to lay the piece in a hole in a board, and
give it a Aroke with a flat file, or file of which the teeth sre not croffed:' It:might,
perhaps, be lefs troublefome:t6: clean them with-diluted muriatic acids bat-this T have
not tied, res
«As the ample ficld of phytiological reféarch to which Mr. Carlifle’s attention is direéted,
and the multiplicity of my own avocations, rendered it lé{s, convenient for us to purfue
3 . our184 Experiments with a new EleAtrical or Galvanic Apparatus.
‘our enquiries together, I conftruGted an apparstus for my own ufe. Zine was laminated
to the twenty-fourth part of an inch in thicknets and pute Giver to the one-thoufandth
part of an inch, that is to fay, as thin as our ating mills can bring it.
OF thefe metals I made two fets, namely, fixteen pieces of filver of two inches in dia=
meter, and Sixteen pieces of 1.8 inch diameter, with their correfpondent plates of zine and
wetted card. The fimall pile was firlt prepared, and whether it were chat thefe thin pieces
were more difpofed to admit the water between the metallic faces of contaét, or from
whatever other caufe it may have arifen, it did not appear by any experiment, that the
whole fet, though fo greatly exceeding the pile of half-crowns in Surface,’ was capable of
doing more in the decompofition of water, or in communicating the fhock. But this, with
other fa€ts,:feems to thew, that the repetition of the feries is of more confequence to this
aétion, than the enlargement of furface ; and alfo that the thicknels of the plates, though
it may be attended with convenience, moft probably affords no addition to the force. I mult
alfo add, that Ihave no'reafon to recommend my pile, though at firft fight it feemed to
poffefs cheapricfs and convenience, The plates of zinc are too thin to bear frequent clean.
ing or renewing after corrofion of the furface, and the filver, though it is fearcely ated on
in this Giruation, is too thin to be conveniently wiped’or handled.
‘The (pontaneous ele@tricity of the doubler prefented an objeétion to the frit fidelity of ite
refults; whénce I thought it defirable to give my pile a’trial with the condenfer. ‘The foot
of fland of my cle€trometer is a bra(s plate truly flat, and 3.8 inches indiameter, A. piece
of thin Perfian flk was tied fmoothly upon the face of this plate, and it was then placed
upon another brafé plate, upon which it was moved about horizontally, in order to accu
muulate cle€tricity by fri€tion 5 the eleCtrometer itfelf being ufed as the handle by grafping
the top. It was found that this treatment produced very weak figns of electricity when the
eleGrometer was lifted up. ‘The lower brafs plate was then placed’on the top of the {mall
pile, and the condenfing cle€trometer placed upon it. A communication was then
made, by means of 2 wire from the lower or filver end of the pile to the upper plate
of the condenfer, or foot of the éleGtrometer. In this Gtuation it is evident, that the
charge of the pile was employed in producing oppofite {tates of ele€tricity in the condenfer,
which would be thewn when the plates came to be feparated. ‘The wire of communication
being taken away, the eleCtrometet was lifted, and the Jeaves diverged and ftruck. It be-
came neceffary, therefore, to repeat the experiment, takinig care’to lift the eleCtrometer
more gradually. The divergence took place as before, and it was increafed by prefenting
excited fealing wax towards the bottom of the cleGtrometer, ‘And as the top of the pile
“had by compenfation diminithed the fame divergence, it is clear that the eleétricity of the
top of the pile, viz. of the zinc, was contrary to that of fealing wax; that is to
fay, the zinc was in the plus ftate, After a number of repetitions of this experiment with
the fame invatiable refult, the pile was then carefully overfet, without diftirbing the rela-
tive arrangement of its parts fo that the zinc was now at the bottom, and the filver at the
top.Experiments with a New Eleéfrical or Galvanic Apparatus. 185,
top. The eledtricity of the Gilver was then tried a number of times, by precifely the fame
procefs as before, and it exhibited an equal degree of intenfity, but it was minus or né-
gative, In one of thefe experiments, I certainly faw the fpark at the time of completing
the circuit, and afterwards with the fame pile, when I was exprefely looking for it. But
itis lefs neceffary to dwell on thefe fats, as the ftronger combinations have exhibited this -
fieO with much greater perfpicuity,
‘The decompofition of water, and oxidation of metallic wire, gave birth to a variety of
Speculations and projeéts of experiments. Among others it became a queftion, what
would be the habitude of metals of difficult oxidation. Two wires of platina, one of
which was round, and one fortieth of an inch in diameter, and the other nearly of the fame
mafs, but flateed to the breadth of one twenty-fifth of an inch, were inferted into a fhort
tube of } of an inch infide diametér. When placed in the circuit, the filver fide gave a
plentiful fiream of fine bubbles, and the zinc fide alfo a ftream lefs plentiful, No turbid~
nefs nor oxidation, nor tarnith appeared, during the courfe of four hours continuance of
this operation, It was natural: to conjecture, that the larger ftream from the filver fide
was hydrogen, and the {maller oxigen. . ‘Thick gold leaf was tried with. the fame effedts.
‘A wire of brafs was then fubttituted inftead of one of the flips of gold. When.the brats
‘was on the minus, or filver fide, the two gafes wetc extricated for two hours, without
‘oxidation as before; but when the brafs was, by reverfing the tube brought to the plus fide,
it became oxided: in the fame manner as if both the wires had been brafs, When the flips
of gold were long fubjeéted to this a€tion, the extremity of the flip communicating with
the zine, acquired a coppery or purpleith tinge, which was deepeft near the end. Whether
this arofe from oxidation of the gold, or of the copper, of which gokd leaf contains about-a
feventicth part, cannot from this. experiment be decided.
‘The Gmple decompofition of water by platina wires without oxidation, offered a means of
obtaining the gafes feparate from each other. With this intention, Mr. Carlifle’s pile
of thirty-fix was combined with my two fets of fixteen repetitions. His pile was
built with the zinc uppermoft, and mine, in the reverfe orders fo that by conneét-
ing the upper plates the whole conftituted one range, and the communications could be’
made from the bottom of the one to the bottom of the other. The two platina wires were
made to protrude out of two feparate tubes, each containing a fittle water, and through
the oppotite corks of each were palfed copper wires of communication. ‘Thefe tubes were
Gightly greafed on the outfide to prevent their becoming damp 5 and in this ftate the extre~
ities, armed with the platina, were plunged ina thallow glafs veilel of water, in which two
{mall inverted veifels, quite full of water, were fo difpofed, that the platina of one tube was-
Beneath one vellel, and the platina of the other tube was beneath the other, the diftance
between their extremities being about two inches. ‘The copper wires of thefe tubes re=
fpedtively were made to communicate with the extremities of the intire pile of fixty-eight
fets, A cloud of gas arofe from each wire, “but moft from the filvery or minus fide, Bub-
Vou 1V.—Jury 1800, Bb bles186 Esperiments with a New Eleftrical or Galvanic Apparatus.
bles were extricated from all parts of the water, and adhered to the whole internal furface
of the vefiels, The procefs was continued for thirteen houts, after which the wires
were difengaged, and the gales decanted into feparate bottles. On meafuring the
quantities, which was done by weighing the bottles, it was found, that the quantities of
water difplaced by the gafes, were refpedtively, 72 grains by the gas from the zinc fide,
and 142 grains by the gas from the Giver fide; fo that the whole volume of gas was 1.17
cubic inches, or near an inch and a quarter, ‘Thefe are nearly che proportions in bulk, of
what are ftated to be the component parts of water: The gas from'the zinc fide, being
tried with one meafure of nitrous gas, contraéted to 1.25, and did not contraét more by the
addition of another meafure ; the gas from the filver fide by the fame treatment contraéted
to1.6. “The air of the foom, on trial, contraéted to 1.28, From the finalinefs of the quan-
tity no attempt was made to detonate the air from the zinc fide; but a portion of that
from the Glver fide, beirig mixed with one third of atmofpheric air, gave a loud detonation,
Upon the above it may be remarked, that it it does not fem probable that oxigen was
afforded by both wires, but that they were mixed by the circumftances of the experiment.
For the gafes being extricated in extremely minute bubbles beneath the inverted veifels,
caufed a flow afcending current confiting of water mixed with thofe bubbles, many of
which were wndoubtedly too fmall to be difcerned. This afcending current gave out as
much of its gas at the top of the veffel, as had time to conglomerate; but the extremely
minute bubbles would retorn in the defcending current, and be repeatcilly carried up
Defore this effet could take place. Such a continual cizculation, or ftream, the lower part
of which pafed down into the faucer, muft at length have occafioned the whole mafs of
fluid to become replete with thefe minute bubbles, which would break at the open furface, and
be loft, or attach themfelves to the fides of the vellel, as was feen to be the cafe. What
“ proportion, may have thus difappeared is uncertain; but it is highly probable, that one
confequence of the imperfeétions of our apparatus, was to occafion both the inverted vef=
fels to become receptacles for the gafes from both wires’ indiferiminately ; though molt
plentifully in each, from the wire immediately beneath its mouth. If this reafoning may
bbe admitted for the prefent, till the experiment is repeated in clofed velfels, it will be fatr
to reckon the whole diminution on both the quant ‘The whole diminution was 1.15)
whence it would follow, that the purity of the oxigen eftimated in Prieftley’s manner,
‘would be expreifed by the number 0.85.
On account of the length of this communication, I fhall at prefent forbear to enter into
any confiderations of theory, but thal! conclude with a concife mention of the effeéts of a
Bile of one hundred half crowns, and a chemical incident, which appears to be the mot
remarkable of thofe which I have yet obferved.
‘The pile was fet up with pieces of green woollen cloth foaked in falt water. It gave
fevere thocks, which were felt as. high as the shoulders, The tranfition was much lefs
forcible, through a number of perfons, but it was very perceptible through nine. The
park
3Experiments with a New Eletrical or Galvanic Apparatus. “187
{park was frequently vibe when the difcharge was made in che dark, and a gleam of light
was alfo, in fome inftances, feen about the middle of the column at the inflant of the ex+
plofion. The affitants were of opinion that they heard the fpark,
“The extrication of the gafes was rapid and plentiful by means of this apparatus. When
copper wires were ufed for the broken circuit, wich muritic acd diluted with roo parts of
‘water in the tube, .no gas, nor the leaft circulation of the fluid was perceived, when the
iflance of the wires was two inches. A fhort tube, with two copper wires very near each
other in common water, was shade part of the cireuit, and thewed by the ufual pheno
mena, that the ftream of electricity was rapidly palling. The wires im the muriatic acid
were then flided within a thitd of an inch of eachother. For the fake of brevity, I avoid
eaumerating the effets which took place during feveral hours, and fimply ftates that the
minus wire gave out fome hydrogen during an hour, while the plus wire was corroded,
‘and exhibited no oxide ; but a depofition of copper was formed round the minus, or lower
wite, which began ais lower end: that no gas whatever appeared in this tube during
two hours, though the depofition was going on, and the fmall tube thewed the continuance
of the ele€tric ream ; and that the depofition at the end of four hours formed a ramified
metallic vegetation, nine or ten times: the bulk of the wire it farrounded.
In this experiment it appeared, that the influence of eleétricity increafidg the oxidabi-
lity of the upper wite, and affording na(cent hydrogen from the lower, eaufed the latter to
2G as the precipitant of a folution of one and the fame metal.
‘We are in want of a meafure of the intenfity of ‘the aétion of thefe machiries. Will this
be derived from the quantities of water decompofed, or of gas extricate under like ciccum~
frances in given times? Or from any change of temperature? Or what other commenfurate
incident ?—Mr. Carlifle has not found that the water jn the tube, while under this agency,
did produce the fighteft effet on a very final and delicate thermometer.