44 REPORT — 1853. 



vegetation springs up to suffer the same fate ; it may be in another half-century, and 

 thus a constant chemical robbing and exhaustion of the soil takes place. Thus bar- 

 renness at last overspreads regions which are naturally fertile, and which rest upon rocks, 

 the debris of which naturally yield the materials of a rich agricultural surface. Such 

 results of burning are often observed in North America, and the author advanced the 

 fact as one of personal observation which he had been led thus chemically to explain. 

 The general conclusion to which the author arrived was this, — that while the geo- 

 logy of a country has certain broad and undoubted direct relations to its agricultural 

 value, yet when we follow the subject into detail, these relations become more and 

 more indirect ; other influences, cjiemical and physical, come into play and assume 

 the character of leading agencies, and as we investigate them more and more closely, 

 we almost seem to lose sight of geology altogether. 



Description of some new kinds of Galvanic Batteries, invented by 

 M. KuKLA of Vienna. 



The combination used in one of these is antimony, or some of its alloys, for a nega- 

 tive plate, with nitric acid of specific gravity r4 in contact with it, and unamalga- 

 mated zinc for a positive plate, with a saturated solution of common salt in contact 

 with it. A small quantity of finely powdered peroxide of manganese is put into the 

 nitric acid, which is said to increase the constancy of the battery. 



The alloys of antimony which M. Kukla has experimented with successfully are 

 the following : — 



Phosphorus and antimony. 

 Chromium and antimony. 

 Arsenic and antimony. 

 Boron and antimony. 



These are in the order of their negative character, phosphorus and antimony being 

 the most negative. Antimony itself is less negative than any of these alloys. The 

 alloys are made in the proportions of the atomic weights of the substances. 



All these arrangements are said by M. Kukla to be more powerful than when 

 platinum or carbon is substituted for antimony or its alloys. 



In this battery a gutta percha bell cover is used over the antimony, and resting on 

 a flat ring floating on the top of the zinc solution, this eflfectually prevents any smell, 

 and keeps the peroxide of nitrogen in contact with the nitric acid solution. 



When a battery of twenty-four cells was used, M. Kukla found that in the third and 

 twenty-first cells, pure ammonia in solution was the ultimate result of the action of 

 the battery, but only water in all the others. 



This experiment was tried repeatedly, and always with the same result. 



A battery was put into action for twenty-four hours ; at the end of that time the 

 nitric acid had lost j^ths of an ounce of oxygen and \t)x of an ounce of zinc was con- 

 sumed. Now as one quarter of an ounce of zinc requires only 0*06 of an ounce of 

 oxygen to form oxide of zinc, M. Kukla draws the conclusion that the rest of the 

 oxygen is converted directly into electricity, and this view he says is confirmed by the 

 large amount of electricity given out by the battery in proportion to the zinc con- 

 sumed in a given time ; in the above battery each zinc plate had a surface of 40 square 

 inches. 



The addition of peroxide of manganese does not increase the efiect of the battery, but 

 it makes it more lasting ; the peroxide of nitrogen formed in the bell cover taking 

 one atom of oxygen from the peroxide of mnnganese. This is evident from only the 

 oxide of manganese being found in the battery after a time. In the salt solution no 

 other alteration takes place than what is caused by the oxide of zinc remaining in a 

 partly dissolved state in the solution. 



For this battery M. Kukla much prefers porous cells, or diaphragms of biscuit 

 ware, as less liable to break, and being more homogeneous in their material than any 

 other kind. 



This battery is very cheap, antimony being only 5d. per lb. wholesale, and the zinc 

 not requiring amalgamation. 



The second arrangement tried by M. Kukla was antimony, and amalgamated zinc 

 with only one exciting solution, viz. concentrated sulphuric acid. This battery has 

 great heating power, and the former great magnetizing power ; it however rapidly 



