506 Sir G. C. Haughton on the Common Nature of 



magnetic energies of bodies brought within its range are 

 heightened to a surprising degree. Magnetism proves the 

 co-existing and ahernating nature of attraction and repulsion, 

 and that where we find one we may be quite certain that the 

 other is only in abeyance, existing potentially, and ready to 

 spring into action the moment the conditions of bodies are 

 such as to admit of this law of nature coming into activity. I 

 say bodies, because, as it is a law of relation, there must be 

 the mutual presence of two things to enable it to exist. Now 

 the insensible relations which the present experiments reveal, 

 seem identical with those which Dr. Faraday was able to 

 make sensible, even to an audience in a theatre, by the means 

 of a powerful electro-magnet, just in the same way as when a 

 bit of paper excited positively or negatively, and scarcely 

 affording the slightest indication of its excitement, will be 

 I'oused into strong repulsion by the approach of any electric 

 body in a. similar state with itself, but more highly excited; 

 and indeed the degree of its repulsion will be proportioned to 

 the. energy of the electric state of the body with which it is 

 in relation ; it being one of the mysterious peculiarities of 

 affinity that the body that exhibits it in the strongest degree 

 raises the feebler related body up to a state of equality. 



The neutral state which Dr. Faraday supposes to exist 

 through the struggle of what he terms magnetic and diamag- 

 netic forces, in various saline solutions, is according to the 

 preceding views due entirely to the relative strength of the 

 latent attraction or repulsion roused into a state of exaggera- 

 tion, and if I may so say abnormalism, by the surpassing energy 

 of the electro-magnet ; but were we to suppose the phaenomena 

 thus exhibited to be the normal state of nature, we should 

 interpret wrong, and mistake the exception for the rule. 



But as facts are better than all reasoning, I proceed to 

 exhibit the mutual attractions and presumed repulsions which 

 I elicited in about 600 additional experiments, together with 

 the measures so obtained. 



The measurements of the experiments which follow were 

 first thrown into a tabular form, the substances being arranged 

 perpendicularly on the left side of the paper, and the needles in 

 succession at the top, both of them being between ruled lines in 

 opposite directions. This arrangement had the great advan- 

 tage of affording an easy contrast at a glance, but notwith- 

 standing the number of experiments that have been made it 

 left too many laciincc, owing to the great number of needles 

 and substances which I had not time to try ; for the sake of 

 saving space it was abandoned therefore for the present plan. 



The needles employed are indicated by the letters which 



