Biographical Notice of Alexander Volta. 73 



poles, would be very strongly heated, particularly metallic 

 wire, and even platina wire would melt and burn. The most 

 conspicuous characteristic of this kind of ignition, indepen- 

 dent of its intensity, is, that it is continual, and has no re- 

 semblance to combustion, since it acts in a vacuum, or in 

 gases which are not supporters of combustion, such as azote, 

 and carbonic acid, as well as in air. In vain have philoso- 

 phers every where sought to study these effects in varying 

 and reproducing them under a thousand forms ; as yet, no 

 satisfactory explanation has been given. They have only 

 increased the number of experiments, and here we ought not 

 to forget to mention that of Davy, one of the most remark- 

 able in experimental philosophy ; we mean the brilliant jet 

 of light that this able chemist has produced between two 

 pieces of carbon, in connecting them with each pole of the 



Ever since the earhest enquiries into the nature of electri- 

 city and magnetism, philosophers have suspected that an 

 analogy existed between these two agents, but this, until 

 1820, had been purely hypothetical. 



It was reserved for the voltaic apparatus to show by facts 

 the truth of this analogy ; it is to Oersted that we are in- 

 debted for having known how to prove this experimentally ; 

 he discovered the action which a conductor, uniting the two 

 poles of the pile, exercises upon a magnetic needle. 



If we have thus far adopted the order of ideas traced by 

 the Italian author, without however subjecting ourselves to 

 the necessity of following him step by step, and omitting 

 nothing which he has said, or adding nothing to his exposi- 

 tion, we are now obliged to abandon him entirely. In fact, 

 after having claimed the honor of the experiment of Oersted 

 in favor of two of his fellow citizens, Mojon and Romagnesi, 

 he satisfies himself with recalling the determination by Biot 

 and Savart, of the law which governs the new action, and 

 the very remarkable fact discovered by M. Arago, of the 

 magnetism given to needles of steel by an exterior electric 

 current. But by a forgetfulness which we cannot account 

 for, the author does not mention the name of M. Ampere, 

 of that philosopher, who may be justly called the creator of 

 a new branch of physics, called electro dynamics ; the histo- 

 ry of the labors of this philosopher is the best homage that 

 we can render to the memory of Volta. since they show of 

 Vol. XV.— No. 1. 10 ' 



