392 THEORY OF GALVANIC, 



proved long ago by Lavoisier and Laplace, De 

 Saussure, and by Mr. Read. Were it not for the 

 caloric contained in nitric acid, it would not dis- 

 solve zinc and copper filings. For the same 

 reason, it would not combine with the plates of the 

 battery ; nor would it enter into chemical combi- 

 nation with any other substances. The battery 

 owes all its energy to chemical action, as cer- 

 tainly as that combustion is a chemical action. 

 Can common sense admit that caloric causes at- 

 mospheric oxygen to combine with combustibles, 

 and that some other agent causes the oxygen 

 of acids to combine with the plates of a voltaic 

 battery ? The supposition is wholly unphiloso- 

 phical, and is contradicted by all the analogies 

 of nature. Combustion is a chemical process to 

 all intents and purposes, and is produced by the 

 same agent which causes all other chemical 

 actions. Another important general fact, showing 

 the intimate relation between combustion and 

 galvanic action, is, that the action of the pile, 

 like that of combustion, is far more energetic 

 in oxygen gas than in atmospheric air ; and 

 ceases in vacuo, in nitrogen, and other gases that 

 do not act chemically on it. 



If we compare the effects of galvanic elec- 

 tricity with those of caloric evolved by ordinary 

 combustion, we find that they are the same. 

 When voltaic electricity fuses, ignites, and vola- 

 tilizes, metals, gems, and all other combustibles, 



