DescrlpLion of an improve 1 Galvcnic Trough. 243 



electricity should owe these qualities to the gas, than that 

 oxysjen should derive them trom electricity. Perhaps to this 

 -fiuid, independent of oxygen, the muriatic acid may owe 

 its acidity ; and as the electric fluid has been shown above to 

 possess the quality of removing colour, the muriatic acid 

 may owe the same property, which it possesses, to this very, 

 active fluid. Psrhaps, in fine, it may have a greater share i a 

 the formation of nitric acid than has been generally imagined. 

 But passing by conjectures, v.-hich the present generation 

 has little hopes of seeing verified, I shall come to a con- 

 clusion, happy if the above hiists should conduct some 

 fortunate genius to open so wide a Held of interesting and 

 important disco verv. I am, sir, yours, 



i:. B. 



XXXVI. Description of an Improved Galvanic Trough. 

 By C. WiLKiNSOiN, Esq. 



To Mr. Tllloch. 



HSTR, 

 AViNG experienced considerable inconvenience in the 



course of my galvanic experiments, with the emptying the 

 troughs, and of" correcting any -defects as to the plates be- 

 coming unsoldered, or the trough leaking; I have removed 

 those difficulties by the following construction upon the 

 principle of Volta's Couronne des tasses.— The box is form- 

 ed as usual, but with a series of wooden partitions, in 

 place of the usual opiates of metals, about half an inch 

 distant from each other, and well covered with cement ; 

 a piece of copper wire bent as Z, €, (fig. 3. Plate V.) 

 with a ring R soldered to it in a direction parallel to the 

 zinc and copper plates : the end Z is soldered to the zinc 

 plate, and the end C to the copper ; the ring is forthe conve- 

 niency of passing a wire through, when the experiments are 

 concluded, so that all the plates may be raised at once from 

 the trough. It is evident by this arrangement that we have a 

 power equal to the sum of huih the zinc surfaces : allo^ving 

 for the loss sustained by the comn)on method, from the pait 

 O 2 covered 



