$08 New Outlines of Chemical Philosophy . 



before your readers in its present imperfect state, and to take 

 the liberty of suggesting the following hints for its further prose- 

 cution. — Three jars of equal electrical capacity with one another 

 might be taken, and a hole full a quarter of an inch in diameter be 

 drilled in each. One of them should have the hole near the top of 

 its coating ; the second in its middle ; and the third near its bot- 

 tom. The holes being of this size and the glass tolerably thick, 

 the explosions would pass through them from coating to coating 

 without injury to the jars. If, however, stronger charges should 

 be required than might with safety to the jars be employed in 

 this manner, the coating round the holes might be removed to a 

 greater distance, and two wires having a small ball on one ex- 

 tremity of each might be connected with the opposite coatings 

 of the jars ; the opposing balls being placed at a small distance 

 from each other and opposite the centre of the holes : the ex- 

 plosions might then be made to pass through them from ball to 

 ball without acting on the glass, and the experiments might be 

 repeated as often as necessary without fear of damaging the jars. 

 Cuthbertson's balance electrometer would likewise be useful for 

 regulating with accuracy the strength of the charges. — A series 

 of experiments made with each jar separately, and another series 

 with the jars combined, under every variety of circumstance 

 which might influence the results, would, it is probable, add 

 something more to our knowledge of the laws which regulate the 

 action of the electric fluid. 



Should any of your ingenious and able correspondents be in- 

 duced by this communication to investigate the subject of it, I 

 shall have obtained by making it the only object I had in view, 

 I am, sir. 



Your obliged servant, 

 Hereford, Sept. 14, 1815. Thomas HoWLDY. 



!.. . . 



XXXVIII. Neiv Outlines of Chemical Philosophy. 

 By Ez. Walker, Es(j, of Lynn, Norfolk. 



[Coiitiuued from vol. xlv. p. 432.] 



I HE phaenomena of electricity are investigated in a much more 

 satisfactory manner by low degrees of excitement, than by more 

 powerful artificial means. For when very large electrical ma- 

 chines are used, all the air contained in a room soon become* 

 electrified, which puts a total stop to all inye5=tigations upon its 

 natural propert.es; nay, even a single candle burning in a rooiQ 

 soon alters the state of the air which it contains*. 



• " Tlie rcpcllcncy Ijetween the cork-ball and the shot (the prime con- 

 ductor whicli the Doctor made use of) is destroyed by cftiidle-light, even 

 tbough the caudle be at a foot distance." — Franklin's Works, vol, i. p. I7t. 



The 



