254 Proceedings of the Royal Society. 
Commissioners of the Admiralty have enabled him to make arrange- 
ments for pursuing them on a very extended plan. 
A paper was also read entitled, 
Experiments and Observations on the Developement of Magnetical 
Properties in Steel and Iron, by Percussion. By W. Scoresby, 
Jun., F.R.S.E. communicated by the President. 
After adyerting to the general results of his former inquiries the 
author observes, that his principal objects on the present occasion 
were to endeavour by auxiliary rods of iron to increase the degree 
of magnetism, and to ascertain on what circumstances as to the 
magnitude of the iron rods, and the quality, size, and temper of the 
steel wires, the utmost success of the method depends. 
He formerly used a single iron rod, upon which the steel bars were 
hammered, both being in a vertical position. He now places the steel 
wire between two rods ofiron, and subjecting it through the medium 
of the upper rod to percussion, derives the advantage of the mag- 
netism of both rods of iron acting at the same time upon both its 
poles. The rods he used were of the respective lengths of three and 
one foot, and an inch diameter, and the upper end of the larger rod 
and the lower one of the smaller rod were made conical, there being 
an indentation in each to receive the ends of the steel wire. Some 
magnetism was then elicited by percussion in the larger rod, and 
the steel wire being properly placed between its upper extremity 
and the lower one of the small rod, the upper end of the latter 
was hammered, and magnetism thus communicated to the wire ; 
whilst the lower rod receiving some influence from the percussion, 
performed a similar office. The author calls this mode of pro- 
ceeding the compound process, to distinguish it from the mere ham~ 
mering of the wire upon the rod, as practised by him formerly, and 
which he terms the simple process. He then enters into extended 
details of his several experiments, of which the following are the 
principal results. 1. That the compound process is more effectual 
in the production of magnetism than the simple one, though the 
ratio of augmentation does not appear determinate. In one expe- 
timent the maximum effect of the simple process was an attractive 
