344 New Outlines of Chemical Philosophy. 



that even contact produces no permanent effect upon the elec- 

 trometer. On the contrary, the electricity of the earth is some- 

 times 80 strong, that the tube drawn once through the silk as 

 before, and held at the distance of four, five, or six inches above 

 the electrometer, the leaves will become permanently electrified. 



But to obtain a greater degree of exactness than can be de- 

 rived from one electrometer only, 1 make use of five or six, and 

 after having made an observation by each separately, I take a 

 mean of their results for the true. 1 have kept a journal of the 

 electricity of the earth by this mode for more than fifteen months, 

 and found, during that time, such a correspondence among 

 these instruments, as gives me great confidence in this mode of 

 investigation. 



Extract from my Journal of Oh^errations on the Electricity 

 of the Earth, taken at M?ie o' Clock in the Forenoon. 



When a tube, excited as above directed, is brought into con- 

 tact with an electrometer, without producing any permanent 

 effect within it, it is not to he understood that the earth contains 

 no electiicitv, but only thai it is in a iieiy low state. 



The experiments, described in my last paper, demonstrate 

 that the pendulums placed at each extremity of an arrangement 

 of electric columns, were kept in motion by two invisible ele- 

 ments, and 1 have to add, that these pendulums have now been 

 constantlv vibrating for more than two months. In the year 

 1813, 1 ascertained that the electric spark consists of two ele- 

 ments of equal mechanical forces passing through each other in 

 contrary directions*. In these experiments, the effect was as 



* Phil. Mag. vol. xlii. p. 163. 



instantaneous 



