376 G. Th. Fechner's Justification of the 



a curi'ent which, measured by a multipher by means of the 

 initial oscillations, equalled 1*41 (reckoning the action of the 

 earth upon the needles of the multiplier =1); the second 

 system, forming a circuit by itself, produced a current, the 

 force of which measured in the same manner was expressed 

 by 44'7. When both circuits were combined into one with 

 opposed direction of the current, it was evident that the pairs 

 of zinc and copper plates still retained the ascendency. The 

 measure of the current resulting from the difference was 

 0-45. 



5. Although the increase of chemical action in common 

 circuits, not connected by too bad a conductor, indicates a 

 very remarkable influence on the increase of their power, yet 

 this favourable influence is lost in proportion to the increased 

 opposition in the connecting conductor; thus, for instance, 

 the power of the current of a circuit rose, by connexion with 

 proportionally short and thick wire, by the addition of a cer- 

 tain quantity of acid, in the proportion of 1 : 191. (The 

 plates were newly filed before the introduction of the acid, 

 and the power, as in the first case, measured by the initial oscil- 

 lations only.) As the same experiment was repeated, under 

 quite the same circumstances, but by connecting the poles 

 with a very long and thin wire which evinced about 7000 

 times the opposition of the former, the power rose by equal 

 strength of the fluid only in the proportion of 1:1^ (other 

 examples of this kind are enumerated in my galvanic mea- 

 surements). In the whole chemical theory 1 find no reason 

 why the ■proportion of the increase of power should not be 

 the same in both cases. With respect to the contact theory, 

 according to which by increasing the strength of the fluid 

 there is no increase in the quantity of electricity developed, 

 but only a diminution of part of the opposition to the conduc- 

 tion existing in the circuit, no difficulty here presents itself, 

 since the diminution of a part of the entire conductive opposition 

 must lose influence in increasing the power of the circuit, in 

 the ratio of its smaller amount in proportion to the other parts 

 of the opposition of the circuit. Jf we lengthen the con- 

 necting wire more and more, it may at last be diminished so 

 greatly that the opposition of the fluid becomes insensible. 



III. On the Development of Electricity hy the Contact of Metals 

 isoith Fluids. 



There still remains for me to notice some experiments 

 which have been enumerated as beai'ing against the theory 

 of contact, but which, properly speaking, merely prove (per- 

 haps even appear nierely to prove) : 



