200 ' On the Composition and Analysis 



all ages has sei/ied upon it as means of terrifying the ignorant and 

 superstitious. 



One might trace, examine, and easily explain all the details 

 of the phsenoiiieiia on this simple and natural theory; but enough 

 has been said to show that ki.kctricity is no exception to the 

 mechanical principles of matter and motion — and in regard to 

 the kindred phtenomena of galvanism, I will content myself 

 uith observing, that it is merely accelerated ELECTRicnv, 

 the interposing fluid being palpably decomposed and evolving 

 the electrical powers^ each term in the series of plates being a 

 new impulse or power added to the previous one, till the ultimate 

 effect is accelerated, like that of a body failing by tiie continuous 

 impulses of the earth's Uiotions, or like a nail heated red-!,ot,by 

 accelerations of atomic motion produced by repealed percassjons 

 of a hammer. 



July 11, lSi3Q.i:i<5 i;ri j:>n iKi rrii--'.; 



XXXII. The Bnkcrian Lecture. On the Composition and Ana- 

 lysis o[ the in fiammatle gaseous Coinpuiinds resulting from 

 the dcstriiciive Distillation of Coal and Oil, tvith some Re- 

 marks on their relative heating and illuminaling Pouers. By 

 William Thomas Buande, Esa. Sec. R. S. Prof. Chern. 

 R.L* 



JLnE experiments detailed in the following pages were origi- 

 nally undertaken with a view of ascertaining the relative fitness 

 of the gases obtained by the decomposition of coal ind oi! for the 

 purposes of ilhiUiination, and of elucidating some apparent ano- 

 malies in their economical applications. Merely as such, how- 

 ever, I should not have deemed tlicm of sufficient novelty or im- 

 portance to form the subject of the Bakerian Lecture; but du- 

 ring the progress of the inquiry, some new views relative to the 

 constitution of these gaseous mixtures suggested themselves^ and 

 some properties of terrestrial radiant matter became apparent, 

 which I trust will be thought worthy the attention of this So- 

 ciety. 



hi!-.-,'- Section I. 



On Ike inflammalle gases afforded by the destructive distillation 



of pit coal and oj oil. 



The gases used in the following experiments, excej)t where it 



is otherwise expressly stated, were those emploved for the com- 



Slibn purposes of illumination ; the coal gas being that supplied 



• ' • From the Philosophical Transactions for 1820, Part I. 



from 



\ 



