270 .ANALYSIS OF THE GALVANIC PILE. 



does not extend, the equilibrium of proportional quantity of 

 electric waller ha* bam also produced. If then the. silver 

 lamina* be moved toward the positive body, when they ainve 

 within that atmosphere they begin to diverge as negative; 

 and this divergence continuing to increase, it is greater 

 when this electroscope arrives at the end of the conductor, 

 than it had been in the same place at ihe beginning of the 

 experiment. Mo wever. tfye remote electroscope in commu- 

 nication with this remains without divergence; because the 

 small quantity of electric matter newly withdrawn from the 

 silver lamina? is insensible upon the whole system. 



4. Now will come a proof (among many others which 

 may be found in ray works), that the divergence in the elec- 

 troscopes depends only on the proportional quantity of 

 electric matter, or density of the Jiuid. If, in this state of 

 the system, the silver lamince be touched with a wire held in 

 the hand; though this contact places them in communi- 

 cation with the ground, their divergence continues the same : 

 because their electric Jiuid, by the increase of lector pro- 

 ceeding from the positive body, being in equilibrium of ex~ 

 pansive power with that of the ground, no electric matter 

 can ascend to them from the latter, and they remain dc-> 

 prived of it to the same degree. 



5. Lastly. If the positive body be removed or discharged, 

 the three electroscopes diverge as negative. By the contact of 

 the system, during the influence of the positive body, which 

 had increased the expansive power of the electric Jiuid over 

 the whole, the quantity of electric matter, which had retired 

 from its anterior parts, had passed into the ground; and 

 now, when the influence of the positive body has ceased, 

 this dejiciency of electric matter becomes common to the 

 whole system. 



Fundamental Having now, by this series of experiments, demonstrated 

 proposition. t ^ e fundamental proposition, that an equilibrium of expan- 

 sile power of the electric Jiuid may subsist, between two 

 insulated bodies in mutual contact, with a difference in its 

 density, or proportional quantity of electric matter, I come 

 to my rystem of the electric states of zinc and copper, when, 

 being insulated, they are in mutual contact, which system 

 is founded on that proposition. 

 System of the It is evident, that the electric Jiuid must be in equili- 

 brium 



