Law of the Induction of an E lectric Current upon itself. 17 | 
Arr. Il.—On the Law of the Induction of an Electric Current 
upon itself when developed in a straight prismatic conductor, 
and of discharges of Machine Electricity through straight - 
_ wires ;* by J. H. Lane, of the U. S. Patent Office. 
¢ ~ 
Tue original discovery of the induction of electric currents _ 
Was made by Prof. Faraday, about twenty years since. Prof. 
Henry followed up the subject in the very elegant and elaborate 
Series of experiments, detailed in his “Contributions to Electricity 
and Magnetism,” published in the Journal of Science for 1840 
and 1841, and the full and able discussion of those experiments 
In the same papers presents the most complete elucidation of the 
an eléctric current upon itself, and showed that this too could be 
referred to the single principle of the inductive action of the '% 
8 
tity ina conductor, it induces or tends to induce, a current in au ts 
~s aling parallel conductor, in an opposite direction to itself. , 
Met During the continuance of the primary current in full 
toy) NO inductive action is exerted. wae 
_, “3. Bat when the current begins to decline in quantity, and 
during the whole time of its diminishing, an induced curren 
arto 
ts contained in this paper were read before the National n- 
m, and subsequently communicated through a scientific fr 
Association at their meeting in New Haven, in Aygust, 1850, 
