WISLIZENUS — ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY. 15 



of drawing the attention of Gen. Sabine, Superintendent of 

 the Colonial observatories in the British Empire, to this sub- 

 ject. If this distinguished savant, who has enriched science 

 with so many important discoveries, could, by his influence, 

 provide for simultaneous observations of atmospheric electri- 

 city in the observatories at Toronto, Canada, and at Hobart 

 Town, Van Diemen's Island, to be continued for one or several 

 years, this problem would be solved at once, and compa- 

 rative observations, made in the two hemispheres, might 

 develop still greater results. 



Third. Besides the daily and yearly periodicity of the 

 magnetic force, one also of about ten years has been discov- 

 ered, and this magnetic periodicity of ten years coincides 

 wonderfully with the changing frequency of the spots in the 

 sun, as a persevering German astronomer, M. Schwabe, who 

 has made the spots in the sun his special study, ascertained 

 after observations for twenty-five years. This proves, con- 

 clusively, the close relation between terrestrial and solar 

 magnetism. Whether such a periodicity controls atmosphe- 

 ric electricity, future observations must show. 



Fourth. All bodies on our globe have been ascertained to 

 be either diamagnetic or paramagnetic. The first, when un- 

 der magnetic infiuence, will adopt equatorial, the latter axial 

 or polar position. Now, of all the gases, there is but one, as 

 Faraday has discovered, that has paramagnetic power, viz : 

 oxygen. The immense mass of oxygen surrounding our 

 globe seems, therefore, to be capable of being kept by the 

 permanent magnet in the interior of our globe in a constant 

 state of polarity by induction, and may be compared to an 

 armature of soft iron around a globular magnet. To what 

 degree this important discovery of Faraday affects atmos- 

 pheric electricity, has still to be determined ; but it is not un- 

 likely that this magnetic force of oxygen may form the con- 

 necting link between terrestrial magnetism and atmospheric 

 electricity. 



Fifth. Since the Aurora Borealis affects the magnetic 

 needle so sensibly, that it has been designated a magnetic 

 storm, it is to be expected that on such occasions the atmos- 

 pheric electricity also will be influenced by it to some de- 

 gree. The fact that during an aurora the telegraphic wires 

 may be worked without a battery by mere connection with 

 the earth, indicates, certainly, the presence of intense, mag- 

 neto-electric currents ; but, thus far, I have had no opportu- 

 nity to make electric observations during an Aurora Borealis. 



Having now touched all the principal theories concerning 

 the origin of atmospheric electricity, and having ventured 

 the opinion of connecting it directly with the magnetic force 

 of our globe, I am nevertheless well aware, that for the pres- 

 ent, it is a mere theory, receiving some plausibility from 



