ON OHlMlCwBL AFFINITW j|5 



tVplalrt tll^r'^^Ctro-motive property ; since x^e sk^ilrt ^iVK 

 «u|)posiin>;','tf/it they retain tlibir particular eleetrit*aF^iWu!ti*8i' 

 dthougH' coiitiijtrolis with cbndndtors. ' "^ 



Let ii'd tioir^ tufti^'Olit attention t6 iKfe |ihenonieha pro- I*^enomena o^ 

 tJuCed during 3k.'ompo8ltioh by gatviinism; and in the first fomposiuoa, 

 place let usinquire, whethpr the^ caii be' accouiiteti for on the 

 prrnci pie6 ^jopds^d bV" Mr. 'DaVy ^^i tht^'^tcohfd (ilae* vt ife^ 

 ther they carth'ot'be' aC^^oiinfed'fbi' cJii'jjl^iicipli* li^^rfoiyjt?^ 

 tionable;- " ' ^^ " '^* ' "' ^''"^'-^ ^ '' '^ '^ ''"^' ' -'-^ 

 Mad it been' proved, in the most unrxopptionable mariiief^' 

 tliat the pafticfes of disaimihir" kinds of mutter have differeiit? 

 electrical stiites,*' and that the constituents of a compound' 

 fetainthelr pecHiliar states while in coriiposition; the rationale, 

 Mr. Davy has offered of the [jHcnomena of dccompouition 

 by galvanism, would yet be' very far from being; satisfactory.' 



If w^e take water, i^star omnium^ and consider it as a com- Water taken 

 pound 'of oxlgeri and hidtogen,' and these substances as^**"*'^"'^**^' 

 having, in respect to one another, tlie negative' arid positiYe* 

 states: it will by no means follow, that' oxigeh must be n^ 

 gative, or hidrogeu positive, tor every ether body, Tn like 

 manner, although the' two' wires of a galvanic battery be,' 

 respectively, the one positive, 'the otheV negative; ^et th^^ 

 negative wive will be positive to a body more negative than 

 itself, and the positive wire will be negative to a body rriore** 

 positive than itself, Now as far as w'c know from experiehcei * 

 repellent force'is not excited betwet^n electrified bodit*9,unles4 

 they be in precisely the same electricaV state. If therefore the 

 electrical' state of oxigeii and of hidrogeii remain stationary, 

 there \vill be only one poinf of'^o^itive electtiei'15', at'iwhitih- 

 ijiepositivevvire v^ilJ repel hidrogteri, and only out point of ne- 

 gative electricity, at which thciif gative w ire wil> repel oxigen : 

 and at all dtl-er'iioilits of exciffcitieht, th^ pbsitive'-wire will' 

 attract hidrogfeii, aiid the iiega'tive wire w^ 11 attract oxigen, " " " 



Mence, as w'ater is decdrnpOBcd by the action df the twa 

 wires, when frbm' the circiimstiailcesundtfr which they aire i«iw»!^a-a 

 made to act, and from their'effects oiVour instrumVtitsi we 

 know, that they are in different degreed df positive and »e«J 

 gative eliectricity, it become*' itDpos^ibll'td consider the re<- 

 pulsions, IMr. Davy speaks of; as cs»ehtiul' to the decompo* 

 silion, sucIj rtpulsionsbeing v^J-y raVelj', if'eV^r, esieJrted': bttt* 



the 



