Miscellanies. 159 



right ascension on the eastern side, and a minute or a Httle less to- 

 wards the north. In consequence of the state of the weather, he 

 could not succeed in tracing it. From the slowness of its motion, 

 he conceives it must be situated beyond Herschel. — Bib. Univ. 

 Jan. 1836— Rec. Gen. Sc. June, 1836. 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 



1. On Electricity by contact, by Karsten ; 8vo. Berlin, (in Ger- 

 man.) — The following are some of the most important results to 

 which M. Karsten has been led by his investigations. 



1. Metals, and perhaps all solid bodies, become positive in fluids, 

 while the fluid in which they may be immersed, is negatively elec- 

 trified. 



2. A solid, immersed one half in a fluid, acquires polarity ; the 

 part not immersed being negative, while the other part is positive. 



3. Solid bodies differ in their electro-motive force in the same flu- 

 id, and this difference is the cause of the electric, chemical and mag- 

 netic attraction in the galvanic circuit. 



4. If two solid electro-motors, of different electro-motive force, 

 are immersed in the same fluid without being in contact, the most 

 feeble electro-motor receives a different polarity from the stronger, 

 and becomes consequently negatively electric. 



5. The part of the most feeble electro-motor, not immersed, man- 

 ifests opposite electricity to the part in the fluid, that is, manifests 

 positive electricity. 



6. The electro-motive electricity of a fluid, depends on the prop- 

 erty of being reduced by two solid electro-motors of dissimilar 

 strength, to such a state, that the solid electro-motors receive oppo- 

 site electricities. In general, all fluids which are bad conductors of 

 electricity possess this property, and not those which are good con- 

 ductors, or those which have no conducting power. The intensity, 

 however, of the electro-motive force of the fluids depends not solely 

 on the conductibility, but on other properties, not fully known. 



7. The electro-motive effects of two metals which form a circuit 

 in the same fluid, depend on the continual excitement and neutrali- 

 zation of the opposing electricities in the fluid. They are generated 

 by the electro-motive action of the stronger and weaker electro- 

 motor on the fluid ; are augmented by the action of the stronger on 

 the weaker ; and are accelerated by the close contact of two solid 

 electro-raotors, when these are good conductors. 



