Qj^ GAIVANJC PROCESSES. 



from the tWs- claims of IJalcs, Cavendish, Priestley, and some others, to whose 

 ^^'^''"'^ '^^ discoveries he himself and his numwous party at Paris have 



by direct as -vvcll as indirect means endeavoured to establish a 



title in his own name. 



Theory of 

 Galvauism. 



Some remarks 

 on the tlieory 

 of H. B. K. 



Sioxne errors in 

 liis facts point- 



II. 



Observations and Experiments on Galvanism, thePrecipitation of 

 Metals hy each other, and the Production of Muriatic Acid. 

 By Charles Sylvestek, Esq. 



SIR, 



To Mr. NICHOLSON. 



JlN October 1 804, you did me the honour of inserting in 

 your valuable Journal, some evperiments and cbscrvations, 

 tending to prove that galvanism was strictly a cliemical prc- 

 ce^, depending upon a double affinity, existing between the 

 water and the metal ; the metal being supposed a compound 

 electricity of metallic base, and the water a compound of oxi- 

 gcn and hydrogen. 



I observe in }our last Journal a new mode of theorizing on 

 those appearances by Mr. H. B. K. As it is my intention in 

 this paper to give you some new experiments w Inch have 

 fqr some time occupied my attention, I shall not at present; 

 examine Mr. H. B. K.'s hypothesis, having only had time to 

 observe that his opinions are very singular and very liable to 

 objection. I beg leave however just to contradict several 

 assertions made by Mr. K,, I have no objection to his con- 

 vincing the world of the absurdity of modern chemistry ; but 

 I would recommead him to bring forward flicts for that pur- 

 pose, without which every opinion mu.st fall into nothing. 



In page '224. No. 52, he says, that with water the 

 wires were much calcined. Now it is right that Mr. K. should 

 know that only one wire, viz. that which comes from the zinc 

 end of the pile could be calcined ; for invariably deoxidation 

 would be going on at the opposite wire if the oxide of a 

 metal were present. Mr, K. tells us that the wires are cal- 

 cined by an acid; and to prove it, he introduces the same wires 

 which were calcined with water, into a solution of potash, 

 and asserts they were not in the least acted upon. This is 

 cwtainly not true. The wire *onjing from the copper end 



of 



