THE 



LONDON AND EDINBURGH 



PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE 



AND 



JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



[THIRD SERIES.] 



SEPTEMBER 1838. 



XXII. Discussio7i of M. Fechner's Views of the Theory of 

 Galvanism, "iSoith reference, particularly, to a circuit including 

 Two Electrolytes, and to the relations of Inactive Iron. By 



Prof. SCHCENBEIN. 



To the Editors of the Philosophical Magazine and Journal. 

 Gentlemen, 

 T N the letter I had the honour of addressing to you some 

 ^ months ago, I mentioned en passant that the chemical 

 theory of galvanism was about to be severely attacked by 

 some German philosophers. I now perceive by the 12th 

 number of PoggendorlTs Annalen for 1837, that M. Fech- 

 ner has laid before the scientific public his objections to this 

 theory, in a paper entitled " Justification of the Voltaic 

 Theory."'* Having many reasons to suspect that the contro- 

 versy respecting the source of voltaic electricity will before 

 long be resumed with more ardour than ever, and being be- 

 sides almost sure that the results of my late researches re- 

 garding the voltaic action of metallic peroxides will be made 

 use of as a piece of evidence in favour of Volta's views, I 

 think it not quite unseasonable to offer a remark or two upon 

 some of the objections brought forward by M. Fechner. As to 

 the assertions made by that philosopher with regard to some 

 fundamental experiments of De la Rive, I do not feel my- 

 self called upon to refute them, as no doubt the distinguished 

 electrician of Geneva is himself best able to maintain the 

 points attacked. The remarks I am going to make will prin- 

 cipally bear upon the conclusions which have been drawn by 

 M. Fechner from the results of the following experiment. 



* We commence in the present number, p. 205, a translation of M. 

 Fechner's paper here mentioned. 



Phil. Mag. S. 3. Vol. V6. No. SI. Sept. 1838. M 



