Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 239 



OBSERVATIONS ON MR. STURGEON's LETTER CONTAINED IN 

 THE LOND. AND EDINB. PHIL. MAG. FOR NOVEMBER 1834. 

 BY MR. FRANCIS WATKINS. 



To Richard Phillipsy Esq., F.R,S,y Sfc. 

 My dear Sir, 



On looking over your valuable Journal for the last year, I was 

 somewhat surprised to find in the November Number a letter from 

 Mr. Sturgeon detailing the results of some experiments which he 

 made in magneto-electricity the 28th of August 1834, with the large 

 steel magnet belonging to the proprietors of the Gallery of Practi- 

 cal Science, Adelaide Street, Strand. 



I take the liberty of calling your attention to the fact, that 

 many months previously to the date of Mr. Sturgeon's experiments, 

 (namely, on the evening of the 14th of November 1833,) I had the 

 pleasure conjointly with Mr. Saxton (the projector and maker of 

 the large and splendid magnet exhibited in Adelaide Street,) of il- 

 lustrating in the presence of yourself, Messrs. Faraday, Lardner, 

 Turner, Daniell, Cooper, Moseley, Pepys, and a host of other sci- 

 entific gentlemen assembled at the Gallery, the mechanical, physi- 

 cal, and chemical effects of electricity developed by steel magnets. 



You will, no doubt, recollect that on the evening in question 

 I superintended a large magnetic machine which was very kindly 

 lent at my solicitation by the Count de Predevalle, and constructed 

 for that nobleman by the ingenious artist M. Pixii of Paris, while 

 on the same evening Mr. Saxton displayed the splendid powers of 

 the instrument contrived and made by himself. 



There is nothing in these observations intended to underrate the 

 merits of Mr. Sturgeon; indeed, I feel assured, had that gentleman 

 been aware of what had been already done, he would not have for- 

 warded his letter for insertion in your Magazine. Mr. Sturgeon 

 I well know to be an ardent and zealous labourer in the field of 

 physical science, and 1 hope you will allow me here to record, that 

 I have received many friendly and valuable hints from that gentle- 

 man. Yet in justice to Mr. Saxton and myself, I could not let the 

 opportunity pass of bringing to your recollection what had been 

 achieved and experimentally illustrated months before the date of 

 Mr. Sturgeon's experiments. 



Should you consider it worth while to insert these remarks in 

 your Miscellany, your readers will be apprised that what Mr. Stur* 

 geon brings forward as new in magneto-electricity in August 1834, 

 had been noticed by Mr, Saxton, myself, and others, many months 

 previously. And it ma}'' here be observed, that notices of polar de- 

 composition by magneto-electric agency were published in some 

 French journals about the latter end of the year 1832. 



I remain, my dear Sir, yours faithfully, 



5, Charing Cross, Jan. 22, 1835. Francis Watkins. 



