74 HISTORY OF GALVANISM. 



although attended by such brilliant results, are 

 really less meritorious than that profound insight 

 into the operations of nature by which they were 

 suggested. Highly, however, as we must appre- 

 ciate the merit of Sir H. Davy, it is proper to 

 remark, that the views suggested by Hisinger 

 and Berzelius must be regarded as leading to the 

 theory that was so amply detailed and so firmly 

 established by our illustrious countryman. 

 Decompo- About a year after the reading of the above 

 paper, Sir H. Davy presented a second to the 



Royal Society, in which he most happily applied 

 his hypothesis to practice, and succeeded in solving 

 the problem, which had so long remained involved 

 in obscurity, respecting the composition of the 

 fixed alkalies. After encountering some difficulties 

 in the arrangements of the operation, the grand 

 object was at length accomplished in the following 

 Relation of manner, "A small piece of pure potash, which 

 menf.* pen had been exposed for a few seconds to the atmo- 

 sphere, so as to give conducting power to the sur- 

 face, was placed upon an insulated disk of pla- 

 tina, connected with the negative side of the 

 battery, of the power of 250 of 6 and 4, in 

 a state of intense activity ; and a platina wire, 

 communicating with the positive side, was brought 

 into contact with the upper surface of the alkali. 

 The whole apparatus was in the open atmosphere. 

 Under these circumstances, a vivid action was soon 

 observed to take place. The potash began to fuse 

 at both its points of electrization. There was a 



