164- Dr. Faraday's Experimental Researches in Electricity, 



magnetic or chemical action. In this, however, was found 

 no point of discordance between voltaic and common electri- 

 city; for when a Leyden battery (291.) was charged so as to 

 deflect the gold leaf electrometer equally, the points were found 

 equally unable to discharge it with such effect as to produce 

 either magnetic or chemical action. This was not because 

 common electricity could not produce both these effects (307. 

 S10.), but because when of such low intensity the quantity 

 required to make the effects visible (being enormously great 

 '(371. 375.),) could not be transmitted in any reasonable time. 

 In conjunction with the proofs of identity hereafter to be given, 

 these effects of points also prove identity instead of difference 

 between voltaic and common electricity. 



271. As heated air discharges common electricity with far 

 greater facility than points, I hoped that voltaic electricity 

 might in this way also be discharged. An apparatus was 

 therefore constructed (fig. 5.), in which AB is an insulated 

 glass rod upon which two copper wires, C, D, are fixed 

 firmly; to these copper wires are soldered two pieces of fine 

 platina wire, the ends of which are brought very close to each 

 other at £, but without touching ; 

 the copper wire C was connected 

 with the positive pole of a vol- 

 taicpbattery, and the wire D with 

 a decomposing apparatus (312. 

 316.), from which the communi- 

 cation was completed to the nega- 

 tive pole of the battery. In these 

 experiments only two troughs, 

 or twenty pairs of plates, were 

 used. 



272. Whilst in the state described, no decomposition took 

 place at the point «, but when the side of a spirit-lamp flame 

 was applied to the two platina extremities at e, so as to make 

 them bright red-hot, decomposition occurred; iodine soon 

 appeared at the point a, and the transference of electricity 

 through the heated air was established. On raising the tem- 

 perature of the points e by a blowpipe, the discharge was ren- 

 dered still more free, and decomposition took place instantly. 

 On removing the source of heat, the current immediately 

 ceased. On putting the ends of the wires very close by the 

 side of and parallel to each other, but not touching, the effects 

 were perhaps more readily obtained than before. On using 

 a larger voltaic battery (270.), they were also more freely ob- 

 tained. 



273. On removing the decomposing apparatus and inter- 



