Miscellaneous Notices on Galvanic Results. 33 



wire was placed within a cup of mercury, and the positive brought 

 to within the striking distance, a most brilhant combustion of the 

 metal took place. When the positive was placed in the mercury, 

 and the negative brought to the striking distance, the brilliancy of 

 the combustion was so increased that it was painful to behold it." 



" The length of flame obtained from the charcoal points was 

 three fourths of an inch. The end of a steel file was melted 

 by the flame ; so also was glass. Zinc turnings were speedily , 

 deflagrated, and their oxide was seen floating about the room. 

 The physiological effects were exceedingly powerful : it required 

 the strongest nerves to volunteer the experiment. The deflagra- 

 tion of metals, and those other phenomena which are attractive 

 to the eye, were of the most brilliant description. 



" It was half past 10, P. M. before we had arrived at this por- 

 tion of the experiments, the battery having been in active ope- 

 ration upwards of 7 hours, and after 5 hours of excitation its 

 power was scarcely impaired. It had been, towards the close, 

 fed, by dropping a few crystals of sulphate of copper into the 

 solutions ; but these latter were by no means exhausted ; for, on 

 disarranging the battery, the solution remaining in the cells was 

 found fit to use on an ensuing evening, when many members of 

 this Society had an opportunity of witnessing some of those ef- 

 fects, which attach so much value to this simple form of the bat- 

 tery. 



" On applying a powerful magnet, the flame from the charcoal 

 points obeyed the known laws of electro-magnetism, being at- 

 tracted or repelled as the case might be ; or following the motion 

 of the magnet, if the latter were revolved." 



" When the ends of the main wires were placed across each 

 other, (at about one or two inches from their extremities,) not 

 touching, but with an intervening stratum of air, — the striking 

 distance, through which the electricity ^^s- 4- 



passed, producing a brflliant light, that 

 wire connected with the positive end of 

 the battery became red hot, from the point 

 of crossing to its extremity. The corre- 

 sponding portion of the other wire remain- "w p~ 

 ed comparatively cold. This experiment was carefully repeated 

 and varied. The wires were removed from the battery ; that 

 which had been the positive was made the negative, and the 



Vol. XXXIX, No. 1.— April-June, 1840. 5 



