1808. JET. 30.] PROFESSOR DA.VY. 355 



On April 19 and 20 Davy was again at work with 

 the battery of 520 pair of plates, 



He began thus : ' Indications of the decomposition 

 of muriatic acid. To use every effort to ensure 

 accuracy in the results.' 



' A given quantity of muriatic acid gas was acted 

 upon by dry charcoal ; there was continued vivid light 

 in the galvanic circuit. The action was continued for 

 ten minutes ; when a little water was added no ab- 

 sorption took place, so that all the muriatic acid gas 

 was decomposed. Some other experiments were made 

 with dry muriate of lime and mercury and with a 

 solution of muriate of lime, strontium, and soda.' 



On June 30 he had a paper read at the Royal Society 

 on the ' Decomposition of the Earths Strontia, Lime, 

 Magnesia, by Means of Iron at the Negative End of 

 the Battery.' Berzelius having mentioned in a letter 

 that he had succeeded by using mercury as the 

 negative pole, Davy repeated Berzelius's experiment, 

 and decomposed alumina and silica by an amalgam 

 of mercury and potassium at the negative end of the 

 battery. 



On July 11 he laid before the managers of the 

 Royal Institution the following paper : 



A new path of discovery having been opened in the 

 agencies of the electrical battery of Volta, which promises to 

 lead to the greatest improvements in chemistry and natural 

 philosophy and the useful arts connected with them ; and 

 since the increase of the size of the apparatus is absolutely 

 necessary for pursuing it to its full extent, it is proposed to 

 raise a fund by subscription for constructing a powerful 



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