JOURNAL 



OF 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, CHEMISTRY, 



AND 



THE ARTS. 



SEPTEMBER 1797, 



ARTICLE I. 



EKpirlments and Ohftrvafions made -with the Vieiu of afcertaimng the Nature of the Gnz pr,l 

 duced hypajfwg EUaric Difcharges through Water; with a Defcription of the Apparatus for 

 theft Experiments. By Geosce PmaRSON, M. D. F. R. S. * 



In the Journal de Phyfique for the month of November 17S9, were publinied the very 

 curious and interefting experiments of MefTrs. Paets Van Trooftwyk and Deiman, with the 

 affiftance of Mr. Cuthbertfon, on the apparent decompofition of water by ekaric difcharges. 



The apparatus employed was a tube 12 inches in length, and its bore was i-8th of an 

 inch m diameter, Englifh meafure ; which was hermetically fcaled at one end, and, while it 

 was feahng, li inch of gold or platina wire was introduced within the tube, and fixed into 

 the clofed end, by melting the glafs around the extremity of the wire. Another wire of 

 platina, or of gold, with platina wire at its extremity, immcrfed in quickfilver, was intro- 

 duced at the open end of the tube, which extended to within j-Sths of an inch of the upper 

 wire, which, as was juft faid, was fixed into the fealed extremity f. 



The tube was filled with diaillcd water, wjilch had been freed from air by means of 



PubliS!r".f t' "r A ' ^T"'- "^''^ '"''" "■'' '"' '''^"'' "" ^^°>'^' '"""y' =""> - ^'•""f' °f 'he fame 

 publUlitd in ilic Tranfaftions for 1797. M. 



t In »no.l«r p,rt of Mr Van Troodwyk's m.aicir i. is ft.tcd .ha, ,hc diftancc was ,J inch from the end of 



.heuppcrw.re,o,he,opof,helowcrxv,re; and ,h.t the dinance between the infulated ball and pri^e con- 



tor ».. a. hrft .,.4,h. of an inch, but .hat afterwards i. was inereafed to one ineh. Although .he wire 



f. lUned „„„ ,|,e top of .he tube w.. faid to be .J ineh in length, i. I, obferved. .ha, when a eolutnn of 3-S,hs 



c ,r.r r IM "" ", " "" "'""'' " "•* """"'"> "' '*" "PP" '•'"'■ F™'» "'vfe and other inac- 



.ra.,es. „ will be. made appear, ,l.a, „« one, from .he account publiflied, ha. been ableto repeat the experimen, 



Vo,..I._.Su.TEMonK.:97. li Cu.hbertfon's 



