134 Electricity in Machinery. 



ing a galvanic circle together, I was struck with the much higher 

 electro-negativeness of charcoal than of copper in relation to zinc ; 

 there being but six substances between zinc and copper, while 

 there are eleven between zinc and carbon, which, moreover, 

 stands even higher than gold, and next below platina. Besides 

 this, its excellent conducting power seemed particularly to qualify 

 it to act as an electrometer. Accordingly, I was led to consider 

 that it might form an excellent battery with zinc or its amalgam, 

 and mentioned the opinion to Prof Renwick. I was however 

 prevented from experimentally demonstrating its powers, until in 

 the month of March I perceived in one of the foreign journals a 

 short account of a carbon battery which had been successfully 

 tried in England. I immediately constructed a small battery, 

 consisting of only six pairs of zinc and bituminous coal, and ar- 

 ranged as a couronne des tasses. The zinc plates were an inch 

 square, consequently there were only six inches of acting zinc 

 surface ; the exciting liquid was diluted sulphuric acid. With 

 this battery pure water was easily and rapidly decomposed, though 

 from not having platina electrodes, and from the want of a vol- 

 tameter, the gas collected was not measured. This experiment 

 was witnessed by Mr. Schaeffer, assistant Professor of Chemistry 

 in the College. To those who possess batteries of considerable 

 power, I would suggest the employment of some form of carbon 

 for electrodes in the place of platina. I hope soon to be able to 

 present a series of experiments on the relative advantages of cop- 

 per and carbon, especially in the case of the constant battery. 



New York, May 9, 1840. 



Art. XYII. — Electricity in Machinery ; by Azariah Smith, Jr. 



Messrs. Editors — Having frequently heard persons employed 

 in my father's manufactory at Manlius, N. Y., speak of the devel- 

 opment of electricity by particular parts of the machinery, I was 

 led by an article in the American Journal for (July ?) 1839, to the 

 examination of the phenomena which furnished me with the fol- 

 lowing facts ; which you will please to publish if they add any 

 thing to the light already existing upon this subject. 



Upon approaching the machinery referred to, which was con- 

 nected with the spinning apparatus, and near the centre of the 



