1873-1874.] 5 x 



the extraordinary power oxygen possesses, of supporting animal 

 life, combustion, and chemical action, seems to point to its being 

 associated with it. He next proceeded to show how this magnetic 

 ether is drawn into our atmosphere. This generally takes place 

 in the hot tropical regions, where evaporation is going on to an 

 extent unknown to us here, and where the heated vapour ascends 

 to the limits of our air ; and there being immediately condensed, 

 it causes gaps or partial vacuse, into which rushes, as it were by 

 insuction, the external magnetic ether — the earth's rotation, on- 

 ward motion, and attraction helping it inwards to us. Being thus 

 enveloped in cloudy vapour, it naturally, in company with it, is 

 pressed towards the polar regions, where condensation takes 

 place, and there it is set free, and reaches the earth. This may 

 be taken as its daily course. Exceptional inbursts occur in the 

 track of great rainfalls or snowstorms ; and it is also probable that 

 it assists in the condensation, and promotes the storms. The 

 coronse formed on rare occasions, when in our latitude the auroral 

 light is seen in excess, he looks on as points where it is actually 

 entering our lower atmosphere, in the line of the earth's orbit. 

 After referring to the highly electrical state of our upper air, and 

 the fact that auroral currents may be seen in the above cloud 

 region, travelling in a direction S.E., he gave it as his belief, that 

 the magnetism on landing in the north polar region, passes in a 

 direction S.E. to the south polar regions, and that which lands in 

 the south polar regions passes also in the same lines to the north 

 polar regions ; that, in short, the south pole of a magnet is 

 directed by the north polar current, running south, and that the 

 north pole of the magnet is directed by the south polar current 

 running north. And that this belief is strengthened in seeing what 

 takes place in the making of an artificial magnet, showing that 

 there are not two distinct kinds of magnetism, but only two dis- 

 tinct currents running north and south, which will explain all the 

 phenomena connected with polarity. After giving his idea of 

 what takes place in the conversion of a steel bar into a magnet, he 

 stated that, as far as he had been able to learn, nothing had been 



