ANALYSIS OT THE GALVANIC PILE. J ]£ 



There is not in the whole field of natural philosophy an Should not ba 



obiect, to which the application of this Warning of a true a PP lied to the 

 •' * . -ii j natural pheno- 



philosopher can be of greater importance, than that under menaofelec- 



consideration. Such formula as Mr. Davy employs in lieu tr, city> 

 of causes may appear satisfactory within the narrow limits 

 of the experiments which he describes; but all the sponta- 

 neous phenomena of our globe, in which the electric fluid 

 is concerned, are thus thrown into the back ground, and 

 never noticed. There is evidently, however, no greater which are evi- 



agent in these phenomena, than the electric fluid, which dencesofadu- 

 ° . , , i , , r. tmct substance. 



Mr. Davy never considers as a substance; he speaks only or 



electricity, of electric energies, which are empty words in 



themselves, when supposed to imply the idea of causes; 



white all the meteorological phenomena proclaim a fluid, 



the chemical affinities of which, already manifested, open 



the road to the most important inquiries. 



This consideration- was my principal motive in resuming Analysis of the 



the analysis above mentioned : I have said, that I had not effect of the 



J .. . . pde led to the 



pursued it so far as I saw it possible, but far enough to op- following 



pose the erroneous conclusions, into which Mr. Davy's ob- 

 scure principles had led him, with respect to the mode of 

 action of the galvanic pile ; and continuing that analysis by 

 an uninterrupted series of experiments, I arrived at the fol- 

 lowing propositions, as conclusions of the whole. 



1. Positive and negative in electricity are mere relations general propo- 

 to a certain standard, concerning the distributions of the sltioils > 

 electric fluid among bodies, with which relations no chemi- 

 cal effects are connected. 



2. The immediate effect of the combination of two pro- 

 per metals in the pile, and of their repetition, is to accu- 

 mulate a certain quantity of electric fluid on one half of the 

 length of the pile, which the other half loses. 



3. When the two extremities of the pile are connected 

 together by conducting substances, the above property of 

 the pile produces a circulation of the electric fluid, passing 



from Heaven, and could not be learned but by the whispers of tradi- 

 tion : whence men are i>o more solicit* »*s in the discovery of real 

 causes; they acquiesce in these idle opinions, and hence numberless 

 gratuitous comments, which, like those on dreams, every man may 

 apply as he wishes. 



I 2 constantly 



