NOTE ON THE PRECEDING TREATISES OF M. MOSER. 489 
radiations escaping from all bodies, even in complete darkness, and subjected 
in their emission to laws entirely peculiar, I am convinced that no kind of radi- 
ations whatever are to be had recourse to for the explanation of these phz- 
nomena, but that we should rather connect them with the known facts which 
I shall now mention. 
“1. Most of the bodies upon which we operate have their surface clothed 
with a slight layer of organic matter, analogous to the fatty bodies, and volatile, 
or at least susceptible of being carried off by aqueous vapour. 
«2. When vapour is condensed on a polished surface, if the different parts 
of this surface are unequally soiled by extraneous bodies, even in an exceed- 
ingly minute quantity, the condensation is effected in a manner visibly different 
on the different parts of this surface. 
“* When therefore we expose a polished and pure surface to the contact of, 
or at a small distance from, any body whatever with an unequal surface, it will 
happen that a part of the volatile organie matter which covers this latter sur- 
_ face will be condensed by the polished surface in the presence of which it is; 
and as I have supposed the body to present inequalities or projections and hol- 
lows, that is to say, its different points to be unequally distant from the polished 
surface, the result of this will be an unequal transfer of the organic matter on 
to the different points of this surface; at the points corresponding to the pro- 
_ jections of the body the polished surface will have received more, and at the 
points corresponding to the hollows it will have received less: hence, then, there 
will result a kind of image, but generally invisible. If a vapour be then con- 
densed on this polished surface, we see that it is then under the conditions which 
I just now mentioned, and that the condensation will take place in a manner 
visibly different upon the different points, that is to say, the invisible image will 
become visible. 
“Here, then, in brief, is the notion which my experiments have led me to 
form on the subject of the new phenomena observed by M. Moser. In this 
point of view the study of them doubtless presents less interest than in that of 
the physicist of Kénigsberg; yet the singular part which this organic matter, 
which is found on the surface of almost all bodies, appears to perform here, 
allows us to hope for some light as to its nature and its properties, as yet so 
little known.” 
To this we may add a Note by the writer of an Article on the sub- 
ject in the Edinburgh Review for January 1843, p. 343 :— 
“ We have found that many of the phenomena ascribed to latent light, or to 
heat, are owing to the absorption of matter in the state of vapour or minute 
particles, passing from the object to the surface of the glass or metal upon which 
the image of that object is impressed; and by this means we have obtained 
very fine pictures upon glass, which are positive when seen by reflection and 
negative when seen by trapsmitted light. These pictures are rendered visible 
by the vapour of water, &c.”"—See also the Report of Prof. Grove’s Lecture, 
delivered at the London Institution, January 18, in the ‘ Literary Gazette’ for 
January 21, 1843. 
Norr.—That light is not an emission of ]uminous particles, but “a 
substance distinct from all other, existing in darkness, expanded through 
all things at all times [in a latent or invisible state ], and rendered visible 
by being properly eweited,” is a notion suggested by Dr. John Taylor 
in his ‘ Scheme of Scripture Divinity,’ a posthumous work, published 
by his son, Mr. Richard Taylor of Norwich (my grandfather), in 1762, 
and republished by Bishop Watson in the first volume of his ‘ Collec- 
tion of Theological Tracts, Cambridge 1785. —R. T. 
VOL. III, PART XI. PART 
