48 HISTORY OF GALVANISM 



scale the experiments of Trommsdorff, on the 

 * combustion of metals by galvanism, and gave a 

 minute account of the different phenomena which 

 were produced during the process.* 



pepys'sgai- By an ingenious alteration in Bennet's electro- 

 Ler ' meter, Mr. Pepys endeavoured to convert it into 



PLATE ii. a galvanometer, and it may be so far entitled to 



ijf' ' ' this appellation as it is calculated to measure ex- 

 tremely minute quantities of electricity, which 

 perhaps could not be made sensible by any other 

 means. He also confirmed the facts which I have 

 already alluded to, that oxygen is absorbed by the 

 pile, that it will not act in azote or in hydrogen, 

 and that it may be excited in vacua, provided an 

 acid be interposed between the plates.f About 



Ritter s ex- this time, Hitter of Jena entered upon his inves- 

 tigation of the galvanic phenomena, and both 

 performed many new experiments, and entered 



supposed very zealously into theoretical discussions. He 

 conceived that he had observed a connexion be- 

 twcen galvanism and magnetism : he says, that if 

 an iron wire be placed in the magnetic meridian, 

 the north pole of the wire is more disposed to be- 

 come oxidated than the south pole ; when the 

 magnetized wire is placed in water, the south 

 pole, on the contrary, is most affected. If similar 

 wires be employed, but not placed in the mag- 

 netic meridian, no difference is to be observed in 



* Ann. de'Chim. xlii.ifc? 

 t Tilloch's Phil, Mag, x. 38. 



