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XXVI. A new Electrical PhcBnomenon. Communicated ly 

 a Correspondent. 



To the Editor of the Philosophical Magazine. 



SIR, 



JL HE following remarkable result in electricity occurred 

 some time since. If you think it worthy of insertion in 

 your excellent, publication, it is at your service. 



Having acndcutaily {laced a shilling between the ball of 

 mv ilischarger and the coating of a charged jar, I was sur- 

 prised to find, on making the discharge, that the shilling 

 adhered to the side of the jar. Imagining that this effect 

 might have pr jcc^v'^ded from some foreign matter lodged be- 

 tween the shilling nnd the coaling, I removed it, and care- 

 fully wiped botii. On repeating the experiment the effect 

 was the same as before. That part of the coating where 

 the })iece was taken from sometimes had a small hole in it, 

 with a bur protrudij^ig outwards, something similar to that 

 produced on a card through which a small jar is discharged. 

 I at iirst imagined this efiect to have been an amalgamation, 

 or rather a fusion, of the two metals. Repeating the expe- 

 riment with two pieces instead of one, they both adhered 

 a^ btfdr?, as did likewise three and four. Trying it with 

 five, they fell. The jar that was made use of for these ex- 

 periments did not contain more than a quart ; and not 

 having a much larger one at hand, I cannot tell what the 

 effect would have beei\ had I used one four or five times as 

 big. .The' same experiment being repeated with gold, bras^, 

 copper, &c., the result was the same. I cannot however 

 i-ecbnciie the idea of amalgamation or fusion taking place 

 in the expQrimeuUs v.-ith the two and three pieces, &c., and 

 am, therefore totally at a loss to account for this strange 

 phscTiomcnon. Some of your correspondents may, perhaps. 

 Sir, ofter some theory on this curious experiment, which I 

 should be very happy to see, being but a young and inex- 

 perienced electrician. 



I im, Sir, 



Your obedient servant, 



C. R. 



LETTER 



