ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF PURIFIED SULPHUR. 255 
With most of the cells, but not all, the conduction obtained 
exhibited the peculiar jumpy action before observed with sulphur. 
When a steady deflection appeared to have been attained it would 
suddenly increase to, perhaps, double its value, returning again 
almost immediately to its former value. 
Tn one case a cell that was being studied as it hung in undried 
air gave this jumpy action, but when the air was dried with 
phosphorus pentoxide no conductivity at all was obtained. It 
appears, therefore, that this peculiar action may be sometimes due 
to a surface conductivity, and is not perfectly characteristic of 
sulphur. 
The higher conductivity in one direction than the other at 
once suggests the presence of an E.M.F. in the sulphur itself, and 
of sufficient magnitude to give a current observable through the 
galvanometer. With the first four cells no deflection could be 
detected upon shortcireuiting the sulphur cell through the gal- 
vanometer. Cell No. 5, which showed the relation between 
conductivity and direction very markedly, the deflection in one 
case being 30 in one direction and 560 in the other, gave a deflec- 
tion of two divisions on shortcircuiting through the galvanometer. 
Two more cells were then made as much alike as possible with a 
view to determine to what extent time alone was responsible for 
the changes of conductivity, and how much was due to the passage 
of a current. In studying these cells, which had a much higher 
conductivity than any of the others, the resistance being originally 
6:2 and 7:4 megohms, it was found that they exhibited a con- 
siderable back E.M.F. giving large deflections with the galvano- 
meter. This contrast of properties with those previously made 
was another indication that the method was uncertain. 
On testing these cells with the quadrant electrometer they were 
found to give a deflection of from thirty to thirty-five divisions, 
z.e., about 1 volt. This was the same whether the five cells or 
forty were used to produce the voltage and was not increased by 
leaving the battery on for a lengthened period, indicating that the 
polarisation was galvanic and not dielectric residual. The direction 
of the voltage in the cell was reversible by leaving the battery in 
series with it for about half a minute. 
In order to get rid of some of the objections to this method of 
manufacture a cell was made in the same way as regards winding, 
&c., but instead of touching with hot glass the cell was dipped as 
rapidly as possible into a bath of sulphur heated till it was as 
thick as it was practicable to make it, so as not to melt the 
sulphur slab in the process of immersion. The wires were thus 
covered with sulphur, but the insolubility obtained in this way 
was not so perfect as by the first method. A deflection of 
