26 Voltaic Induction. 



through or around it ; and it is obvious, that had he regarded the 

 magnetism as independent of, or even prior, in its origin, to the oth- 

 er, there would have been no occasion to consider voltaic currents as 

 contributing to the distribution of the magnetic forces. It is the ob- 

 ject of this communication to show, that the currents actually depend 

 upon the magnetism ; and if I shall succeed in doing so, it will be neces- 

 sary to modify that portion of Ampere's theory which involves the 

 highly important philosophic error of substituting an effect for its cause. 

 It is by no means intended to deny the existence of voltaic currents in 

 the magnet; although I confess my great hesitation in admitting that 

 a current, which Faraday* has so ingeniously attempted to show is 

 the same as ordinary electricity, can perpetually revolve around the 

 particles of so good a conductor as steel, without yielding some por- 

 tion to the galvanometer. We can suppose the possibility of its regen- 

 eration by each particle, but the very fact of a circulation seems to 

 prove that it should admit of being led off, by good conductors, as 

 always happens in other instances. All experiments instituted since 

 Ampere's theory was made known, but more particularly since the 

 important discoveries of M. Faraday in relation to what he styles 

 voltaic induction, show, abundantly, the confidence which philoso- 

 phers feel as to the relation between magnetism and the voltaic cur- 

 rents ; nor do I remember an instance where the attempt has been 

 made to account for the phenomena by considering these currents to 

 result from revolving magnetic forces, themselves arising from the 

 ordinary process of induction. Upon reading M. Faraday's very 

 able and interesting memoir,f the idea occurred to me that such a 

 view might be taken; and subsequent reflection upon the subject has, 

 I think, enabled me to explain all cases of voltaic induction by means 

 of the magnetic forces alone. 



When common electricity or magnetism effects induction, it is al- 

 ways upon surfaces placed nearly in opposition to the force ; where- 

 as the voltaic current, supposing it to act independently of its mag- 

 netism, produces the same effect upon surfaces parallel to its own 

 position, and the induced currents, so far from exhibiting a constant 

 relation to the creative force, are sometimes in accordance with its 

 motion, and at others, in opposition. On the other hand, it is al- 

 ways true, that the rotating magnetic forces of these currents, at 



# London and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine, September, 1832, 



Annales 





