PROCEEDINGS OF THE POLYTECHNIC ASSOCIATION. 549 



literary men can be attributed to this cause, and if electricity can alleviate 

 any of the ills arising- from sedentai-y habits, the fact should be known. 



The Chairman. — In the hope of giving this discussion another direction, 

 I will endeavor to correct some popular errors. The term " electric cur- 

 rent," in such common use, tends to mislead, for it implies the passage of a 

 fluid, and this has not been proved. Light, heat and actinism are effects 

 produced by the undulatory motion of the all-pervading, all-permeating, 

 ether or oeth. 



There is a correllation between these forces and electricity and magne- 

 tism, but it does not follow that the two latter ai-e the results of wave 

 motion. Electricity is a force which probably has its pathway through the 

 condensed ether, forming the atmosphere of the atoms of which all pon- 

 derable bodies are composed. It may pass almost instantly through a wire 

 a thousand miles long, as the force of one mass can pass into another; this 

 may be illustrated by suspending by strings a number of ivory balls, so 

 that they will touch each other. If the first ball be swung back and 

 allowed to strike the second, the force is instantly conveyed through the 

 intermediate balls to the last one, which alone flies from its position. This 

 transmission of force is further illustrated by placing two pieces of coin on 

 a table in contact with each other, if the second be held firmly down, and 

 a third coin thrown against its edge, opposite the edge of contact, the first 

 coin will be instantly thrown from its original position. 



We are indebted to Faraday for many interesting facts regarding mag- 

 netism. He has shown that oxygen and many other elements are magnetic. 

 He passed the gases between the poles of a large U electro-magnet, and 

 found some were deflected from their original direction by the magnetic 

 force. The space between the poles is an interesting field of observation, 

 a copper plate is impeded in its movements, while in this magnetic field, 

 and even a cube of glass, held in this space, is so affected as to change the 

 action of a polarized ray of light. 



The Chairman, after congratulating the members on the manner in which 

 they had spent the closing hours of the old year, announced that this sub- 

 ject would be continued at the next meeting. Adjourned. 



American Institute Polytechnic Association, ] 

 January 7, 1864. j 



Chairman, S. D. Tillman, Esq; Secretary, Mr. B. Garvey. 



Mr. D. Minthorne exhibited a governor for steam engines, the invention 

 of Mr. J. H. Pomeroy, of Syracuse, which was constructed with two arms, 

 on the outer ends of which were placed a fan. A short distance from the 

 upright shaft, which supported these arms, was a circular inclined plane, 

 that revolved with the arms; but whenever the velocity was increased the 

 resistance of the air, acting on the fans, caused the arms to ascend the cir- 

 cular inclined planes, thus closing the steam throttle valve in proportion 

 to the height the arms ascended. 



Mr. J. K. Fisher. — In working- the model licre, I find that it closes up the 

 throttle valve from a very sliglit resistance. If it were in use on a marine 



