6 HISTORY OF GALVANISM. 



All thefe valuable difcoveries and experiments are taken 

 from original papers communicated to the 4th vol. of Nichol- 

 fon's Journal. 

 Anonym, that In the 5th vol. of this work we meet with fome curious ob- 

 fufceptible of fervations detailed by an anonymous correfpondent at Edin- 

 galvanifm than burgh. He found that water which had been for fome time 

 fubjected to the influence of the pile, continued forfeveral days 

 to emit gas, and to depofit a mucous matter. He hasobferved 

 that when both men and women form the galvanic circuit, the 

 women appear to receive a larger mare of the (hock than the 

 men. Dr. Rutherford of Edinburgh conceives that vegetables 

 are non-condu&ors of galvanifm, and therefore in this particu- 

 lar that it differs from electricity. 

 Mr. Davy's pile Mr. Davy afterwards difcovered that a pile may be con- 

 with one metal ftru&ed with only one metal, provided proper fluids be applied 

 to its furfaces. He employed the following feries : metal, ni- 

 trous acid, water, fulphuret of potafh, and then metal. This 

 curious difcovery, as Mr. Nicholfonjudicioufly obferves, com- 

 pletely overthrows the hypothefis of Volta. 

 Cruickfliank Mr. Nicholfon about this time was informed by Mr. Cruick- 



chargesajar fhank, that he had at length fucceeded, by ufing proper prc- 

 with galvanifm. ' . • a, T 1 Til c ♦! V 



cautions, in charging the JLeyden phial by means ot the galva- 

 nic pile. 



Hitherto nearly all the wonderful difcoveries that had been 

 made by means of Volta's apparatus were confined to England, 

 and were principally due to Mr. Nicholfon, Mr. Cruickfhank, 

 Mr. William Henry, Mr. Davy, and Col. Haidane. The 

 fubjecl began now to attract the attention of foreigners, and we 

 have an account of fome curious experiments performed by Pro- 



Tromfdorff feflbr Tromfdorff. He conftmcled a pile of zinc and copper, 

 burnsgoldleaf and fixe( j a - e ()f ]d j eaf to the zinc end of the w ; 

 and other metals. ,,. ^, r r ^ • 



he found that it was eafily confumed, and that the lame thing 



Remarkable dif- happened to other metallic leaves. This experiment was re- 

 covery of F° ur - peated by Fourcroy, and he adds this remarkable circumftance, 

 flxock is greateft that fix large zinc and filver plates gave only a flight (hoek, but 

 when therepeti- confumed the wire rapidly ; whereas the fame furface of metal 

 moft°numerous • arranged in the form of a greater number of fmaller plates, af- 



the combuftion forded a more confiderable fliock, but would not burn the 



greateft the , 



larger the fur- metal - 



face. About this time Mr. Cruickfliank obferved, that when the? 



Cruickfhankob- w j re Q f ^ trough apparatus terminated at the furface of the 

 fervestwo dif- ° rr 



water, 



