1835.] Analyses of Books. 143 



III. — Colcm-ed Impressions of Engravings, from the Natural 

 History of Animalcules. By Andrew Pritchard, Esq. 

 London, 1835. 



The figures contained in this little work amount to 301. They are 

 beautifully executed from steel engravings, and are coloured, in order 

 to render the internal structure of the infusoria more apparent, as 

 they appear when fed with coloured substances such as indigo and 

 carmine. The present publication will be very favourably received, 

 we have no doubt, by the public, as there is no similar work in 

 this country, and the scattered foreign ones are expensive, and diffi- 

 cult of access. In consequence of the coloured plates being thus 

 published separately, those who possess the work of the author on 

 the Natural History of Animalcules, with plain impressions, will 

 not require to re-purchase the letter-press. 



The work reflects great credit on the author, and should be pos- 

 sessed by every naturalist and anatomist. 



IV. — On the Action of Voltaic Electricity on Alcohol, Ether 

 and Aqueous Solutions. By Arthur Connell, Es^., Sec. 

 (From the Edinburgh Trans. Vol. XIII.J 



The object of the researches detailed in the first part of this paper is 

 to determine the immediate constituents of alcohol and ether. The 

 author found that when alcohol was acted on by the voltaic agency, 

 a quantity of hydrogen was evolved at the negative pole, which he 

 conceives was derived from the water which the alcohol contained. 

 This result is at variance with that of Dr. Ritchie, who obtained 

 defiant gas at the negative pole, and who concluded that the alcohol 

 was then resolved into oletiant gas and water. Mr. Connell explains 

 the non-appearance of the oxygen of the water at the positive pole 

 in his experiment, to the absorption by the alcohol. The residual 

 liquid possessed an ethereal odour, but it was not examined. When 

 ether was exposed to the same influence no disengagement of gas 

 ensued. Hence, the author concluded, that it contains no water. 

 An additional argument adduced by the author in favour of the idea 

 that it is the water of the alcohol alone which is decomposed by 

 electricity, is that potash dissolved in it precipitated in proportion to 

 the evolution of the gas. He further infers from his experiments, 

 that in the action of electric currents upon the hydrogen acids and 

 haloid salts, as muriatic hydriodic acids, the chlorides,&c., the de- 

 composing influence of the electricity is limited to the water contain- 

 ing these substances in solution, and that if any of the elements of 

 these compounds were detected after a considerable period of action 

 at the poles of the battery, the cause is to be attributed to a secondary 

 influence viz. the reducing action of the elements of the water, set free 

 by the electric energy. The cause, it is presumed, of his obtaining 

 this result, which, if meant to apply generally, is opposed to Dr. 

 Faraday's experiments, is that the electrolytic intensity employed was 

 not sufficiently great. The various intensities have been already 



