A 



JOURNAL 



OF 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, CHEMISTRY, 



AND 



THE ARTS. 



MARCH 1799. 



ARTICLE I. 



All Account of Improvements In EleBrkal Batteries t a Method of augmenting their Power, nvith 

 Experiments, fieiuing the proportional Lengths of Wirefufedby different ^lantities of EkBricityt 

 and a Defcription of a new tiniverfal EleSirometer. By Mr. JoHN CuTHBERTSON *> No. 

 53, Polandflreety London, 1799. 



J-N the year 1774, Mr. E. Nairne made an Eledrical Machinfe, far fuperior in afting power 

 tp any that had been made before*, and a Battery more judlcioufly conftru£ted and larger 

 than any former one, with which he made a number of interefting experiments. One in parti- 

 cular, affords an accurate meafure of the power of his battery, compared with fuch batteries 

 as have been made fince that time. I mean the experiment of melting or difperfing a metal- 

 lic wire. His battery contained 50 fquare feet of coated furface ; and he found that it was 

 capable of receiving a charge fo high, that the difcharge melted 45 inches of iron wire of 

 ^1^ part of an inch in diameter, which anfwers to about J- of an inch in length for each fquare 

 foot, which was the greateft length of wire ever melted. We have no account of this experi- 

 rhenthavingbeen afterwards repeated on a fcale of anyconfiderablemagnitudetill the year 1 785 ; 

 when I conflrufted a battery for the Teylerian fociety, atHaerlem, containing 1 35 fquare feet of 

 coated furface. With this battery 1 80 inches of the fame fort of wire was melted, which 

 feemed to be much more than in proportion to the fize of the battery, as this was about 1,3 

 inches for each fquare foot. This battery was afterwards increafed to 225 fquare feet of 

 coating, and with this 300 inches of the fame fort of wire melted, which was alfo at the rate 

 of 1,3 inches for each fquare foot. Some time after this, I made another battery for the 

 fame fociety, containing 550 fquare feet of coating, compofed of loo jars of $\ fquare feet 



* Communicsted by the author. f Philof. Tranf. 



Vov. II — March i 799. 3 Y each. 



