THEORY OF GALVANISM. 



independently of any experiments performed ex- 

 pressly for the purpose, when we consider how 

 readily pure water transmits the electric fluid, we 

 can scarcely attribute to a deficiency in its con- 

 ducting power the comparatively small effect which 

 it produces in the pile, nor to a mere increase of 

 this conducting power, the vastly greater activity of 

 diluted acids or neutral salts. And if we refer to 

 the principle of the hypothesis, the more we increase 

 the conducting power of the fluids, the less should 

 be the action of the pile. The contact of the 

 metals is supposed to destroy the electrical equili- 

 brium, and the operation of the fluid is to counter- 

 act this disturbance and restore the equilibrium. 

 It must then follow, that the more perfect the 

 conductor, the more completely will the equili- 

 brium be restored, and the less effect will be pro- 

 duced by its destruction. 



It may be urged as an objection to Volta's hy- 

 pothesis, that it does not provide for any absolute 

 increase of the electric power. The two metals, 

 by their contact, become one positive and the other 

 negative; and this is equally the case with each 

 pair ; but the fluid that is interposed between the 

 metals is conceived to restore the equilibrium of 

 the electricity, which has been disturbed by the 

 metals. This is the whole effect of the apparatus ; 

 and we are not informed how any electricity can 

 be actually produced or generated, as it would 

 appear that the nature of the instrument is to 

 cause an electric action in one part, which must 

 be immediately counteracted by another part. 



