6 THE ELECTRIC ARC 



There is, however, no question but that it was an arc 

 which Davy showed in his Bakerian lecture, in 1809, when 

 he described the discharge from 1000 cells as a brilliant 

 flame of from one-fourth inch to one-half inch in length. 

 The name, " arc," appears to have been given by him in 

 182 1 1 because of the bow-shape of the arc when occurring 

 between two horizontal electrodes. 



Several experiments were made by the early workers- on 

 the transport of material in the arc. 2 Some believed this 

 phenomenon to be akin to that of electrolysis; some be- 

 lieved that what was seen in the arc was electricity itself, 

 and though we must reject this view, we do it with the 

 same feeling of sadness as that which we experience when 

 we outgrow the fairy stories of our early years. Others 

 thought that the light was given off by the hot particles 

 which are driven off from the carbons. 



The work of these experimenters is of little importance 



Gilbert, Gilbert's Ann., 7, 161; 1801. 



Pfaff, Gilbert's Ann., 7, 248 and 516; 1801. 8, 340; 1802. 



Ritter, Gilbert's Ann., 9, 341; 1801. 



Davy, Journal of the Roy. Inst., I, 166 and 209; 1802. 



Pepys, The Monthly Mag., 15, 259; 1803. 



Cuthbertson, Nicholson's Journal, 8, 97; 1804. 



Daniel, Phil. Trans., 92, 1839. 



Grove, Phil. Mag., 16, 478; 1840. 



De la Rive, C. R., 12, 910; 1841. 



Van Breda, C. R., 23, 262; 1846. 



Despretz, C. R., 28, 757; 1849. 2 9> 4& and 709; 1849. 



Matteucci, C. R., 30, 201; 1850. 



Herwig, Pogg. Ann., 149, 521; 1873. 



Violle, C. R., 117, 33; 1893. 119, 949; 1894- 



Hertzfeld, Wied. Ann., 62, 439; 1897. 



1 Phil. Trans., 18, 1821. 



2 Hare, Sill. Journ., 3, 105; 1821. 



Silliman, Sill. Journ., 5, 108; 1822. 6, 342; 1823. 10, 123; 1825. 



