1*2 ON THE GALVANIC PHENOMENA. 



in every inftant, or in any given time, more electric fluid, if 

 it meets with no obftacle, or if the fluid be not obihucted by 

 the too (mall capacity of the recipient into which it is infufed, 

 than one of the moft active electrical machines with cylinders 

 or plates of glafs. In fact, where (hall we find a machine 

 capable of charging a very large battery to one or even half 

 a degree in lefs than an eighth part of a fecond, of pouring 

 into it a fufhcient quantity of electric fluid to enable us after- 

 wards to draw from it, by the condenfer, a great number of 

 fparks in, fucceflion, as is done by one of the above-mentioned 

 apparatufes r" * 

 Mention of other The. other experiments, which I was able to fliew you in 

 experiments, pait t relate to the different electrofcopic phenomena which 

 the apparatus prefents, accordingly as the one or the other 

 of its extremities communicates with the ground, or both of 

 them, or neither one nor the other, or as they communicate 

 only between themfelves and with the ground at the fame 

 time ; accordingly as thefe communications are effected by 

 perfect conductors, conductors more or lefs imperfect, &c. all 

 which circumstances Angularly modify and produce great va- 

 riations in the remits, which often appear curious and even 

 anomalous, but which, neverthelefs, I think myfelf able to 

 explain in a fatisfacrory manner, without deviating from my 

 principles and found electrical theory, attention being paid 

 to the mode in which the imperfect or bad conductors act. It 

 would carry me too far to enter at prefent into thefe details ; 

 what you have already feen, and what I have communicated, 

 may be fuflicient for the prefent occafion. 



Obfervations on the preceding Memoir. W. N", 



Theory of Volta Sig. Volta, and many of our philofophical neighbours in 



too haftily France, will, no doubt, think, on re-confideration of the 



adopted. * 



facts, that they have been too precipitate in admitting the 



electric energy as the only effective agent in the phenomena 



of the pile, and that the fluids act merely as conductors. 



The late interruption to correfpondence may probably have 



rendered the contents of my late Journal* little known in 



France, otherwife the learned author of this memoir would 



* On this fubjeft fee Philofoph. Journal, 4to. IV. 243—245. N. 

 4 have 



