Nolic€S respectivig New Books. 437 



another argument or apparent fact before alluded to^ to dis- 

 prove the existence of a subtile fluid as matter of heat, that 

 a " p'atina wire may be preserved in a slate of intense ig- 

 nition in vacuo, for an unlimited time; yet such a wire 

 cannot be supposed to contain an inexhaustible quantity of 

 suliiile matter." Should it, however, afterwards be discovered 

 that electric matter, and the matter of heal, (if there be any 

 such thing) are idetuical substances, only perceived by us at 

 present under different modifications, the explanation of 

 ihese phieuomena must be much more simj:)!e and consonant 

 V. ah a!! our other knowledge of physical bodies. Tour- 

 maline, boracite, and many other minerals become electric, 

 by heat ; in fact, there is no existing vitreous or resinous 

 electricity without sensible heat. VYe llnd much less dif- 

 ference between the exterior influence of what is coumionly 

 denominated matter of heat, and (he electric fuiid, than 

 between hydrogen, oxyeen, and water. Analogy seems 

 Ao sanction this : thus, most of the substances which act 

 distinctly up m each other electrically, are likewise such as 

 act chemicallv, when their particles have irecdora of moti,on. 

 Jt is the case with the metals, with sulphur and the met<\Js,. 

 <ind with acid and alkaline suljstances. Metals having the 

 highest aitracling powers are positive ; as for instance, zinc 

 js positive with respect to iron, the latter to tin, tin to lead, 

 lead to copper, copper to silver, silver to gold, gold to 

 platina, and the latter to charcoal. In stating the hypo- 

 thesis of " the possibility oF tlie dependence of electrical 

 and chemical action upnn the same cause," the author 

 complains of misrepresentation, as if be had maintained or 

 supposed " that .chemical changes were occasioned bv elec- 

 trical changes." On the contrary, he oidy supposed thein 

 " produced by the Siuie power, acting in one case (electric 

 effects) on masses, in the other case (chemical effects) on 

 particles. The controversy, however, was excited with a 

 view not less to notoriety than philosophical truth, or the 

 deveIopnl^;nt of the laws of n)atti'r. in all such cases si- 

 lence is the best argument; and it is a serious injuiy lo 

 science to waste time on an artificial phantom, which might 

 be employeil in ex()loring new and unknown paths in ihu 

 vast fields of philosophical research. 



Auionir the muliipliciiy of facts here staled, should be 

 noticed the experiment proving thai the action of the com- 

 mon eltclrical maahine does not depend on the oxidation 

 of the amalgam. Sir Jil. found that a small machine pro- 

 j)erly niounied was acliye in hydrogen gas, and more active 

 ill f^ihoiuc acid gas; than in ihe annosphere, probably 

 ll t i owing 



