138 Royal Institution^ 



eflfects, Mr. Davy considers, are water-sponts, 5ome earlh- 

 quakes, the limiinous phoenomena in storms, and the au- 

 rora borealis or northern lights. Lightning and the thun- 

 der-boU, said he, were regarded by the ancients as the 

 terrible instruments of the divine vengeance of heaven. 

 The moderns, in developing their causes, have not only 

 disarmed them of their powers, but have removed much of 

 the superstitious fears which they occasioned, and have 

 shown their uses in the oeconomy of things. In the system 

 of nature the obvious eflect is often the least important, 

 and that which seems evil, when distinctly considered, is 

 found only to exalt the good and render it more impressive. 

 Poets have given malevolent spirits to direct the storm, and 

 have made it an inslrun)ent of vengeance and destruction ; 

 the philosopher, on the contrary, finds it guided by the 

 ministrations of wisd(mi, goodness, and mtelligence. 



INlr. Davy's fifth lecture was delivered on Saturday, Fe- 

 bruary 22d. JHe illustrated the laws of electricity by the 

 ereat Voltaic battery, consisting of two thousand double 

 plates of copper and zinc, of four inches square. He show- 

 ed the identity of Voltaic and common electricity, and ex- 

 hibited the decomposing agencies of the battery in a series 

 of beautiful and impressive experiments, many of which 

 were of a novel kind. 



The identity of Voltaic and common electricity is de- 

 monstrated bv the spark, the efl'ects produced on the in- 

 struments employed for exhibiting electrical phaenomena, 

 as electrometers, the electrical battery, and on the organs of 

 sensation. When bodies are similarly electrified by Vol- 

 taic as by common electricity, they repel each other; but 

 when dissimilarly, they attract each other. The electrical 

 battery was charged, and produced a spark by a single con- 

 tact from the Voltaic instrument. The more the powers of 

 the Voltaic battery are investigated, the more correct the 

 original vie^^ s of Volta appear concerning the identity of 

 Voltaic and common electricity. Mr. Davy could not 

 avoid reprobating the use of the terms Galvanic batteries 

 ?.nd GaLvanic electricity. Galvani was only the accidental 

 discoverer of an important fact. Volta ascertained the 

 true cause of the phjenomena, and the merit of correct views 

 and of sagacity peculiarly belongs to him. " Where the 

 names of men are to be connected with science," says Mr. 

 Davy, " truth should be rigorously attended to. Almost 

 the only reward ofi'ered in these times to scientific excel- 

 lence, is fame ; and philosophical men should award it 

 with the same justice to the living as to the dead." 



Mr. Davy distinguished the chemical agencies of the 



battery 



I 



