202 Mr. Faraday on Static Electrical Inductive Action. 
effect. If C touch the inside of vessel 4, still the leaves are’ 
unchanged. If 4 be taken out by a silk thread, the leaves 
perfectly collapse ; if it be introduced again, they open out to 
the same degree as before. If 4 and 3 be connected by a 
wire let down between them by a silk thread, the leaves re- 
main the same, and so they still remain if 3 and 2 be con- 
nected by a similar wire; yet all the electricity originally on 
the carrier and acting at a considerable distance, is now on the 
outside of 2, and acting through only a small non-conducting 
space. If at last it be communicated to the outside of 1, still 
the leaves remain unchanged. 
Again, consider the charged carrier C in the centre of the 
system, the divergence of the electrometer measures its induc- 
tive influence; this divergence remains the same whether 1 
be there alone, or whether all four vessels be there; whether 
these vessels be separate as to insulation, or whether 2, 3 and 
4 be connected so as to represent a very thick metallic vessel, 
or whether all four vessels be connected. 
Again, if in place of the metallic vessels 2, 3, 4, a thick 
vessel of shell-lac or of sulphur be introduced, or if any other 
variation in the character of the substance within the vessel 1 
be made, still not the slightest change is by that caused upon 
the divergence of the leaves. 
If in place of one carrier many carriers in different positions 
are within the inner vessel, there is no interference of one with 
the other; they act with the same amount of force outwardly as if 
the electricity were spread uniformly over one carrier, however 
much the distribution on each carrier may be disturbed by its 
neighbours. If the charge of one carrier be by contact given 
to vessel 4 and distributed over it, still the others act through 
and across it with the same final amount of force; and no 
state of charge given to any of the vessels 1, 2, 3, or 4, pre- 
vents a charged carrier introduced within 4 acting with pre- 
cisely the same amount of force as if they were uncharged. 
If pieces of shell-lac, slung by white silk thread and ex- 
cited, be introduced into the vessel, they act exactly as the 
metallic carriers, except that their charge cannot be commu- 
nicated by contact to the metallic vessels. 
Thus a certain amount of electricity acting within the centre ° 
of the vessel A exerts exactly the same power externally, 
whether it act by induction through the space between it and 
A, or whether it be transferred by conduction to A, so as ab- 
solutely to destroy, the previous induction within. Also, as to 
the inductive action, whether the space between C and A be 
filled with air, or with shell-lac or sulphur, having above twice 
the specific inductive capacity of air; or contain many con- 
