Electricity of Effluent Steam. 7 



the cock, the boiler became negatively electrified in the usual 

 degree. 



It was obvious, therefore, that the excitation took place at 

 the cock, where, by reason of the narrowness of the channel, 

 the force of the current was chiefly exerted. 



I then removed the second glass tube, and discharged the 

 steam direct from the cock, which continued to be negatively 

 electrified precisely the same as before. 



The heat of the iron cylinder proved exceedingly apt to 

 rupture the tube which passed through it, and several an- 

 noying explosions were in consequence occasioned during my 

 experiments ; but I afterwards found that sufficiently decisive 

 results could be obtained, without the aid of external heat, 

 merely by inclosing a portion of the tube, next to the boiler, 

 in a cylindrical case, about three inches in diameter, stuffed 

 with wool or other similar material. ' 



I next made a number of experiments to ascertain the ef- 

 fect of varying the form and material of the aperture at which 

 the electricity was excited ; and, contrary to what I had expect- 

 ed, I found that apertures which were calculated to produce 

 an increase of friction did not in general cause an increase of 

 electricity, and very often had an opposite effect. Notwith- 

 standing this, however, the intensity of the development proved 

 to be greatly dependent upon the nature of the orifice em- 

 ployed ; and to such a degree have 1 increased the electricity 

 by modifying the orifice, that I have produced sparks four 

 inches long, with an expenditure of steam not greater than 

 would be occasioned by a circular aperture 1-lOth of an inch 

 in diameter. But my experiments on this head are, as yet, 

 far from complete ; and it would therefore be premature at 

 present to describe them, or to hazard any opinion respect- 

 ing the immediate cause of the electrical excitation. 



I have also recently obtained some very remarkable results, 

 relative to the transmutation which, under certain conditions, 

 takes place in the electrical states of the steam-cloud and boiler. 

 When the gun-metal boiler, or generator, which I have de- 

 scribed in a former communication, was new, and its interior sur- 

 face was rough and oxidized, as the surface of castings usually 

 are, the electricity of the steam was uniformly positive, provided 

 no corrosive material was mixed with the water ; but lately, 

 upon having the generator bored out, so as to give it a smooth 

 metallic surface within, the steam became negatively electri- 

 fied, although nothing was contained in the water to produce 

 that eft'ect. I afterwards had the inside of the generator coated 

 with tin ; but the steam still continued to be negatively elec- 

 trified. 



