PROGRESS OF ELECTRICAL THEORY. 41 



electrical theory representing with perfect accuracy 

 the laws of the actions, in all their forms, simple 

 and complex, should yet be fallacious as a view 

 of the cause of the actions. 



Any true view of electricity must include, or at 

 least be consistent with, the other classes of the 

 phenomena, as well as this statical electrical action; 

 such as the conditions of excitation and retention 

 of electricity ; to which we may add, the connexion 

 of electricity with magnetism and with chemistry ; 

 a vast field, as yet dimly seen. Now, even with 

 regard to the simplest of these questions, the cause 

 of the retention of electricity at the surface of 

 bodies, it appears to be impossible to maintain 

 Coulomb's opinion, that this is effected by the re- 

 sistance of air to the passage of electricity. The 

 other questions are such as Coulomb did not at- 

 tempt to touch ; they refer, indeed, principally to 

 laws not suspected at his time. How wide and 

 profound a theory must be which deals worthily 

 with these, we shall obtain some indications in the 

 succeeding part of our history. 



But it may be said on the other side, that we 

 have the evidence of our senses for the reality of 

 an electric fluid ; we see it in the spark ; we hear 

 it in the explosion ; we feel it in the shock ; and 

 it produces the effects of mechanical violence, pierc- 

 ing and tearing the bodies through which it passes. 

 And those who are disposed to assert a real fluid 

 on such grounds, may appear to be justified in 



