298 077 livo new Classes of Galvanic Conductors. 



that the intervention ot" the substance employed does not 

 modify in the lea<t thv electrical tension, which remains at 

 the natural maximum at each pole; and that this substance 

 belones to the class of perfect insulators. 



2. The two poles exercise, by the internjedium of the sub- 

 stance app'ried, a reciprocal reaction so intimate, that, neu- 

 tralising itself perfectly, every phasnoincnon peculiar to each 

 ceases, and we cannot act upon any of them in a distinct or 

 appreciable manner. These substances belong to the class 

 of perfect conductors. 



3. The substance a:iplied to the two poles permits their 

 reciprocal reaction and closes the Galvanic cn-cle, but in a 

 manner so imperfect, that the distinct effect of each pole 

 continues to manifest itself, and by the intermedium of this 

 substance we may influence separately each pole in particu- 

 lar, according as we act with one or other of the imperfect 

 conductors. 



4. The substance by which we make the two poles commu- 

 nicate, acting like a perfect conductor, when we apply it 

 separately to each of them, is found however to belong ex- . 

 clusively to the positive pole, the instant we apply it to br.th 

 of them at once, with the view of closing the galvanic cir- 

 cle. The conductors of this cla3s do not operate the clo- 

 sure of the circle, on acoouut of the isolated state in which 

 they leave the negative effect; and wc cannot by their inter- 

 medium in the conflict of the two poles cither charge the po- 

 sitive or discharge the negative. 



5. Lastly, the eflfect previously indicated is reproduced in 

 the same manner, but in an inverse sense; i. e. the sub- 

 stance which separately acts upon each pole, as a perfect con- 

 ductor viould do, belongs entirely to the negative pole from 

 the moment we apply it simultaneously to the two extremi- 

 ties of the pile; hence results the maximum of electrical 

 tension for the positive pole, and tlic lnipos?it)ility of produ- 

 cing any divergency on the negative side by the intermedium 

 of substances of 'his fifth class. 



Tlie phasnomena of the three first classes are sufficiently 

 well known : I shall therefore confine myself to a detail of 

 the facts which demonstrate the existence of conductors of 



the 



