Nipher — Gravitation and Electrical Action. 167 



positive discharge, and the fused metal falling upon the 

 paper was less marked. 



In case of the positive discharge there is of course 

 a heat effect. Part of the result is due to this cause. But 

 if we are to consider the positive terminal as an exhaust 

 terminal, into which the negative electrons are suddenly- 

 drained and thence into the positive sheets of the con- 

 denser, we may explain the result as an explosive condi- 

 tion which is suddenly impressed upon the lead. When 

 deprived of negative corpuscles, each atom repels every 

 other. The negative term in equation (1) has become 

 very much greater than the positive, when applied to in- 

 ter-atomic attraction under these conditions. 



The negative discharge, which is to be regarded as a 

 compression wave could not give a super-charge to atoms 

 within the wire, causing them to repel each other. The 

 super-charge is on the outside of the wire. The one- 

 fluid theory seems to furnish a more rational explana- 

 tion of these phenomena than the two-fluid theory, as is 

 the case in the phenomena of the Crookes tube. 



Some work has been done in the examination of the 

 effect of the electrification of air within a glass vessel, 

 upon the pressure of the air on the walls of the con- 

 taining vessel. A large three-necked Wolff's bottle was 

 used, the three openings being provided with rubber 

 stoppers which had been treated with vacuum wax. 

 The bottle had a volume of 9.6 litres. Through the cen- 

 tral stopper was passed a copper wire to which were at- 

 tached 150 pins. The outer part of this wire was in con- 

 tact with a metal conductor, having a length of about ten 

 feet, which extended to a point near the terminals of the 

 influence machine. This conductor was symmetrically 

 placed with respect to the terminals. It terminated in a 

 disk of copper having 150 pins whose heads were sol- 

 dered to one of its faces. This many pointed terminal 

 could be placed directly in front of either of the large 

 knobs of the machine, at a distance of 10 cm., the other 

 knob, or terminal, being grounded. 



