ANALYSIS OF THE GALVANIC PILE. %■& 



But at the same time a new scene was opened to my view. Hint of a me- 



' , teorological 



This natural electric mttchtn-e soon gave me reason to "«p e » instrument. 



that it might become a new and very essential meteorological 



instrument. Having no motive to dismount it, I lei t it a The pile left .a 



long time in the same state, observing the electroscopes t and °"K ume » 



the following arc the general phenomena which they offered 



to me. 



1. The quantity of electric fluid put in motion by this jj» B^jj^ 

 pile was too great for the gold leaves to remain with a simple meter con tin u- 

 divergence; one of them struck the tin foil on its side, then ed striking, 

 fell, and Jlruck again ; which effect became the object of ^ 



observation. y ,< ome timcsat 



2. At times, these striking* were at both extremities of ^h"™ al- 

 the pile, alternately. When the gold leaf struck on one side, temately, 

 it placed this extremity for an instant in communication with 

 the ground ; the gold leaf fell, but this communication with 

 the ground increased the opposite electric state at the other 

 extremity, where one of the gold leaves struck and fell ; and 

 this continued by turns. 



3. At other times the strikhigs were only on one side, and sometimes a* 

 continued perhaps one day or two : then that state changed, one onl y» 

 and the strikhigs were at the other side. 



4. At which ever side the strikhigs were going on, there differing in fire* 

 was a great difference in their frequency : sometimes the c l uenc 3 r > 

 gold leaf seemed to beat seconds; while at other times it 

 struck but once in a minute, or a longer time. 



5. When the frequency of the strikhigs was upon the which inrrea*. 

 whole nearly equal many consecutive days, it increased sue- f dintnemorn " 

 cessively from the morning till some time in the afternoon, 

 and then went on diminishing till night. 



O. Sometimes I connected one side of the pile with the One end of the 



ground, by a metallic rod, which made the gold leaves fall P' 1 * 5 connected 



i-i- 11^. pi.,. * with the 



on this, and increased the \ frequency of the sinkings on the ground. 



opposite side ; but this increase was neither always the same, 



nor equal in the same time, when the communication with 



the ground was changed from one side to the other. 



7. The beginning of my observations of this kind was in Strikings more 



the winter of 1809; and in this season the strikings were fr ? quent in 



ill r <l i • winter. 



upon the whole very frequent; but as the spring advanced, 



and perhaps as vegetation increased on the ground, there 



