510 Mr. R. Phillips on the Electricities of Steam. 



125. A piece of cane similar to the last was dipped into a 

 solution of common resin in spirit of wine of the consistence 

 of rather thin spirit varnish ; the cane was partly dried and 

 used as in the foregoing experiment with oil. The electrical 

 results were similar to those obtained with the oil. I em- 

 ployed the pewter tube in the experiments with oil and resin, 

 not knowing what trouble I might have in thoroughly re- 

 moving such substances from the pipe of the condenser so as 

 to bring the instrument to its normal state. 



126. Having seen reason to conclude that the friction of 

 steam on the wetted surface of the orifice from which it 

 escapes renders that surface positive and the steam negative, 

 it may be about as safely assumed that when water gives up 

 its motion to air, the water becomes positive and the air ne- 

 gative, which I take at present to be the explanation of such 

 experiments as (107.) ; further, when hot water is used, the 

 specific inductive capacity of the steam-cloud enables the water 

 and air to take a higher charge, just as it did the brass and 

 water in the experiments with the fountain (84, &c.). The 

 experiments (107, 108.) are so similar to those with the jet of 

 steam {56^ &c.), that I cannot but recur to the theory before 

 mentioned {65.) as the explanation of the cause of the elec- 

 tricity of condensation. In such experiments as (47, 89.), 

 where no condensation occurs, but a check is only given to 

 the motion of the steam, I suppose the particles of water, 

 which are discharged with the steam in giving up their mo- 

 tion to the steam, and perhaps when they derive their motion 

 from the steam, become positive and the steam negative ; part 

 of these particles strike on the tube, and are incorporated with 

 the stratum of moisture, rendering the tube positive, while the 

 remainder take the negative charge from the steam, and in 

 some measure pass out of the tube. Some electricity must 

 also be simultaneously developed by the friction of the steam 

 on the wetted glass. 



127. I think it probable that the magnetism of steaiTi, and 

 thermo-electricity generally, may be occasioned by friction, 

 the condensation in the case of steam being only effective in 

 producing friction ; for it is not difficult to imagine, that when 

 a current of particles of steam strike against a tube and are 

 condensed, or strike against cold air, that the friction must be 

 of a much moi'e violent nature than when no condensation 

 occurs. I intend to return to this so soon as 1 have finished 

 some experiments I have in hand bearing on the subject. 



128. According to these views, we have that electricity of 

 steam which is so abundantly afforded by Mr. Armstrong's jet, 

 produced by the friction of particles of water against the dis- 

 charging orifice (Faraday); that electricity produced in such 



