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LX1V. On the Existence of an Electrical ALther through Space. 

 By George James Knox, Esq. 



To the Editors of the Philosophical Magazine and Journal. 



Gentlemen, 



IN the year 1840 you were kind enough to insert in your 

 Magazine a paper, entitled " On the Direction and Mode 

 of Propagation of the Electric Force traversing Interposed 

 Media," in which memoir I endeavoured to prove, from the ex- 

 periments of Sir H. Davy, that an electric current consists in 

 alternate states of induction and equilibrium of the particles of 

 the medium conveying the current, the intensity of the current 

 being proportional to the rapidity of change of induction and 

 equilibrium, and consequently that the mass of oscillating aether 

 surrounding the particles represents the quantity, while the 

 rapidity of the oscillations represents the intensity of an electric 

 current. 



Your March Number contains some very interesting experi- 

 ments which were made by Mr. Latimer Clark, on the transmis- 

 sion of currents of electricity of varying intensity through 768 

 miles of gutta-percha wire, indicating a velocity of propagation 

 of about 1000 miles in a second, which velocity is sensibly uni- 

 form for all intensities from 31 cells to 500; which results, 

 Dr. Faraday remarks, " afford a fine argument in favour of the 

 opinion of those who suppose the electric current to be analo- 

 gous to the vibrations of air under the action of sonorous bodies." 



The experiments of Professor Grove on the electro-chemical 

 polarity of gases (vol. iv. p. 513), where he obtains rings alter- 

 nately bright and oxidated, showing effects of oxidation and 

 reduction by the same current on the same plate, he considers 

 as "analogous to the phsenomena of interference in light; 

 though doubtless, if this be a right view, the very different 

 modes of action of light and electricity would present very 

 numerous phaenomenal distinctions." 



The idea has lately been presented to my mind, that the oscil- 

 lations of the electrical sether in combination with the particles 

 of the medium conveying a current, produce undulations, not 

 only in the aethers of light and heat, but also in another aethei - , 

 which Dr. Draper calls the tithonic aether, which, if experiment 

 proves to be the case, should be more correctly termed the elec- 

 trical aether. 



Dr. Draper, in the year 1847, undertook a series of experi- 

 ments upon the rays of light emitted by incandescent bodies, 

 from which he concluded that when a platinum wire is heated 

 by the voltaic pile or otherwise, it emits rays of light, which 

 increase in refrangibility proportionally to the increase of heat, 



