26 Philosophy of Lucretius. 



Lucretius treated of exactly the same things as Epicurus^ in the 

 same order, and upon the same principles : he is even in some re- 

 spects more complete : he was the last of the atomists, and reca- 

 pitulated the labours of the school. He repeated the ideas which we 

 have already exposed under our account of the fourth philosophical 

 school. He admitted nothing in nature but a void and atoms, which 

 are the ultimate and indivisible particles of matter. These atoms, 

 approximated by an oblique motion, have formed the world and all 

 living beings. The human soul is composed of the most subtle atoms, 

 diffused through all the body. Our sensations are produced by the 

 corporeal images of external objects ; our very ideas result from 

 the impressions left upon our organs by these images. The 

 world has had a commencement; it will have an end. Neither the 

 sun nor the stars are gods, — they are only aggregations of atoms, 

 liable, like all others, to destruction. 



Amongst the compound bodies to which the approximation of 

 atoms has given rise, many have had only a transient duration ; 

 not presenting the necessary conditions of existence, they have been 

 destroyed as soon as formed. Animated bodies, possessing all the 

 requisite conditions, comprizing the capability of re-production, 

 have given origin to the species which exist at this day. 



In his last book, Lucretius speaks of motion ; but his general 

 physics is no better than his philosophy. 



ART. V. On the Effects of Electricity on the Liquified Gases, 

 and on the conducting power of these Fluids. By K. T. Kemp, 

 Lecturer on Chemistry, Edinburgh. 



The following series of experiments on the liquified gases, was 

 undertaken with the view to discover whether they are conductors, 

 or non-conductors of electricity, by causing them to form part of 

 the galvanic circle, and to ascertain what changes are effected in 

 them when acted on by this agent. 



In conducting the experiments I made use of bent tubes, similar 

 to those employed by Mr. Faraday : the part of the tube intended 

 for the reception of the liquified gas, was, however, drawn out to 

 a smaller diameter than the remainder, in order to give more faci- 

 lity in determining the changes which might take place in such 

 small portions of liquid. 



The shape of the tube which was used to form the circuit in the 

 galvanic arrangement, will be seen from the annexed figure, where 

 the platina wires are represented 

 sealed into the ends of the tube. 

 AB is a strong glass tube. CD 

 is a platina wire sealed into the 

 larger extremity, and passing 



