166 PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 



besides being great in arms, was also great in the fairer and more 

 lasting exertions of man — that is, in cultivating the more kindly- 

 feelings, and growing stronger in her mental power than she was in 

 her physical strength ; — ^that whilst with the one she acquired and 

 consolidated her territories and institutions, with the other she left 

 to her future children a rich legacy, proving to them, by imperish- 

 able works, that the human mind can never be more healthily or 

 usefully employed than when perpetuating some great act or virtu- 

 ous feeling. 



Mr. Ball regretted that he had but little means of stating any 

 correct account of what was doing on the continent ; it might, how- 

 ever be observed that in Paris, although artists experience much 

 government patronage, an exhibition can occur only once in three 

 years, from the paucity of pictures, and not so often in other capi- 

 tals — even Vienna, Munich, or St. Petersburgh — although the latter 

 takes the lead in patronage. 



A few remarks were made, previously to the conclusion of the 

 Report, on the state of art at Berlin, Rome, and Madrid ; we are 

 sorry that our limits do not allow us to follow them. 



October 10th. — Mr. Prideaux gave an experimental lecture on 

 Thermo Electricity, which we cannot follow here for reasons similar 

 to those given in alluding to Mr. Harrises report. 



The lecturer judged that, from his experiments, the following de- 

 ductions seem probable : — First, that thermo-electricity differs only 

 in tension from that of the voltaic apparatus, or of the machine. 

 Secondly, that it is not produced at the expense of caloric. Tliirdly, 

 that the radiation of heat, or any kindred property, is not the proxi- 

 mate cause of its developement. Fourthly, that no properties of 

 conduction, at present known, either for heat or electricity, are suf- 

 ficient to account for it. Fifthly, that the metals are resolved into 

 two classes by thermo-electricity ; I. — thermo-positive, or becoming 

 electro-positive by heating; II. — thermo-negative, or becoming 

 electro-negative by heating, the first class b«ing always positive to 

 the second when heated, and that their order in their respective 

 classes is dependent on their conductive as well as thermo-electric 

 faculty. Sixthly, that this property cannot be traced up to, or ex- 

 plained by, the currents produced by heat in single masses of bis- 

 muth or other metal. Seventhly, that foreign metals brought into 

 contact with a homogeneous circuit near the point of heat, partici- 

 pate in the action and serve to determine the current. Eighthly, 

 that the thermo-electric advantage gained to iron and some other 



