ON dALVANISM. 289 



creafes, in proportion as. the alternations are more numerous. 

 Accordingly, this pile, when once charged, muftlofe its elec- 

 tricity very flowly, if" there be no communication between its 

 poles. 



But if a communication between its two poles be eftabliflied, «nl^f? a commu- 



1 r t . ^ 1 /• 1 < 1 nication be made 



by means of a good conductor, the current ot the two elec- between its poles, 

 tricities and their combination, taking place fwtftly, will pro- when It will 

 duce a difcharge, which will a6l, as in the Leyden phial, by f^^l ^the°LeYden 

 an inftantaneous fnock. To this efre6t a new ftate of equili- phial* 

 brium will fucceed, in which the intenfities of the different fit^"s'o?^thf' "* 

 plates will be diminiflied in proportion to the quantity of eleo- plates will be 

 tricity that is inftantaneoufly neutralized. Thefe difcharges ^■1^^'''^^ 4^^ 

 muft therefore be reiterated; but growing feebler each time, as difcharges, each 

 the contads are repeated : but they will foon ceafe to be per- weaker and 

 ceptible, in confequence of the general equilibrium they tend equilibrium is 

 to reflore between all the parts of the apparatus; in a word, reftored. 

 the action of this pile depends on its becoming alternately a plained, 

 better and worfe conductor, according as the two extremities 

 are made to communicate with each other or not. 



As to the mode in which the electricity difpofes itfelf, it mud The eleftrlclty 

 be fuch, that the repulfive power, or intenfity of each plate, '^ ^'^^^5? ^^^^'^ 

 combined with the refiftance of the furfaces, muft counter- nothing in the 

 balance the united adions of all the reft. In confequence, if centre, if mfu- 



^11 f II I I , . 1 "'^ed ; or great- 



tne plates ot melal be an uneven number, and the whole ap- g^ at the top, 



paratus infulated, the intenfities will diminifti uniformly from a"<i nothing at 



the two extremities, where they will be equal and contrary, as j^ communicates 



in the primitive pile, to the centre, where they will be null : with the ground. 



but if the bafe of the pile have a communication with the 



ground, the intenfities will increafe throughout the whole of 



the pile, from the bottom, where they will be null, to the top, 



where they will equal that of the primitive pile. 



The apparatus juft defcribed, which Mr. Ritter calls a fe-This fecondary 



condary pile, produces (hocks, the decompofition of water, pije^produc" 



, ,// , , r , • . , ' 1 acy I. - jic all the effefts of 



and all the other phyuoiogical or chemical eftects obtamed from the common 



the common pile, but with lefs intenfily. By varying the P''^, but 

 number and order of the di^KSof pafteboard and copper, Mr. 

 Ritter obtained feveral interefting refults. Thus he obferved. The fewer the 

 that of all the modes, in which a certain number of heteroge- alternations, the 



, ^ I t I IT r 1 1 , . ^O'^e fpeedily 



neous conductors could be dilpoled, the arrangement that has the eleftricity 



lead alternation is moft favourable to the propagation of elec- ^ows off, 

 tricity. For in fiance, if a pile be conftru6led of lixty-four 

 Vol. VII. —April, 1804-. U plates 



