THE 



PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE. 



SEPTEMBER 1800. 



I. On the Eh-aricify excited by the mere ContaB of conduaing 

 Siihftances of different Kinds. In a Letter from Mr. Alex- 

 ander Volta, F.n.S. Profeffor of Natural Phihfophy 

 in the Univerfity of Vavia, to the Right Hon. Szr Joseph 

 Banks, Bart. K.B. P.i?..S.* 



Como in the Mllanefe, March 20, 1800. 

 After a long filence, for which 1 fliall offer no apology, 

 I have the pleafure of communicating to you, and through 

 you to the Royal Society, fome ftriking refults I have ob- 

 tained in purfuing my experiments on ekaricity excited by 

 the mere mutual contad of different kinds of metal, and 

 even by that of other conduftors, alfo different from each 

 other, either liquid or containing fome liquid, to which they 

 are properlv indebted for their conduaing power. The prm- 

 cipal of thcfe refults, which comprehends nearly all the reft, 

 is the conftruaion of an apparatus having a refemblance in 

 its effeas (that is to fay, in the fliock it is capable of making 

 the arms, &c. experience) to the Leyden fla(k, or, rather, to 

 an clearic battery weakly charged aaing inceffantly, which 

 {hould charge itfclf after each explofion; and, in a w^ord, 

 which (liould have an inexhauftible charge, a perpetual ac- 

 tion or impulfc on the dearie fluid ; but which differs from 

 it eflentially both by this continual aaion, which is peculiat 



* Tranflatcd from the author's paper publiihed in French in the Phi- 

 lofophical Tranfadtions for i?oo, part i. 



VoL.VH. Pp *^ 



