William Sturgeon. 281 



Transactions of the Literary and Philosophical Society of 

 this town, " On the direct Action of Caloric on Magnetic 

 Poles, and the Displacement of Magnetic Action in Soft 

 Iron by the Influence of Heat." The latter part of these 

 researches develop some curious facts respecting the total 

 absence of magnetic action in soft iron when made red 

 hot, and point out by what means a bar may be converted 

 into several magnets at one and the same time. 



' We notice another memoir of even greater importance 

 in the proceedings of the same body for 1846, entitled, 

 " An Experimental Investigation of the Magnetic Cha- 

 racters of simple Metals, Metallic Alloys, and Salts," The 

 very extraordinary fact arrived at by this research was, 

 that several metallic alloys become endued ivith magnetic 

 properties, although the constituents separately show no such 

 action ; and that iron and nickel, two metals which, whilst 

 pure, are susceptible of the highest magnetic powers, become 

 almost totally inert to magnetic action when combined with 

 some other metals. 



' The subject of atmospheric electricity was one to which 

 Mr. Sturgeon devoted a great deal of attention, from the 

 commencement of his scientific career to within a short 

 period of his decease. Not satisfied with the ordinary 

 apparatus in use at the electrical observatories, he elevated 

 exploring kites into the atmosphere, and in all seasons 

 and weathers, and even in some instances at considerable 

 risk to his life, did he pursue this important branch of 

 meteorology. The result of more than five hundred kite 

 observations established the important fact, that the atmo- 

 sphere is in serene weather uniformly positive with regard 

 to the earth, and that the higher we ascend the more 

 positive does it become ; so that if the strata in which the 



