50 Additional Notes. 



since their natural atmospheres are dissimilar as mentioned below; 

 and that this makes them more or less imperfect conductors. 



6. Those bodies which are perfect conductors, have probably 

 neutral electric atmospheres gravitating round them consisting of an 

 equal or saturated mixture of the two electric ethers, whereas the 

 atmospheres round the nonconducting bodies probably consist of an 

 unequal mixture of the electric ethers, as more of the vitreous one 

 round glass, and more of the resinous one round resin; and, it is pro- 

 bable, that these mixed atmospheres, which surround imperfect con- 

 ducting bodies, consist also of different proportions of the vitreous and 

 resinous ethers, according to their being more or less perfect con- 

 ductors. These minute degrees of the difference of these electric 

 atmospheres are evinced by Mr. Bennet's Doubler of Electricity, as 

 shown in his work, and are termed by him Adhesive Electric Atmo- 

 spheres, to distinguish them from those accumulated by art; thus the 

 natural adhesive electricity of silver is more of the vitreous kind 

 compared with that of zinc, which consists of a greater proportion of 

 the resinous; that is, in his language, silver is positive and zinc 

 negative. This experiment I have successfully repeated with Mr. 

 Bennet's Doubler along with Mr. Swanwick. 



7. Great accumulation or condensation of the separate electric- 

 ethers attract each other so strongly, that they will break a passage 

 through nonconducting bodies, as through a plate of glass, or of air, 

 and will rend bodies which are less perfect conductors, and give out 

 light and heat like the explosion of a train of gunpowder; whence, 

 when a strong electric shock is passed through a quire of paper, a 

 bur, or elevation of the sheets, is seen on both sides of it occasioned 

 by the explosion. Whence trees and stone walls are burst by light- 

 ning, and wires are fused, and inflammable bodies burnt, by the heat 

 given out along with the flash of light, which cannot be explained by 

 the mechanic theory. 



8. When artificial or natural accumulations of these separate ethers 

 are very minute in quantity or .intensity, they pass slowly and with 

 difficulty from one body to another, and require the best conductors 

 for this purpose; whence many of the phenomena of the torpedo or 

 gymnotus, and of Galvanism. Thus after having discharged a coated 



