t>N GALVANIC PHENOMENA. <2§2 



proceed from the electric fluid pervading it during the cot' 

 Tosion of the metals effected by a liquid; an alteration by 

 which this fluid, though with a very small density, '^decom- 

 posed when passing from one conductor to another. This 

 important point, both in electricity and galvanism, is pro- 

 ved by a series of experiments beginning at p. 243 of the 

 same paper. 



Having been led by these experiments to the above-men- £ff ecf f pa5 ^ 

 tioned apparatus, wherein the groups of the two metals were ing paper on 

 separated by writing paper, it came into my mind to try, ?"i^ eme ~ 

 whether there would be any advantage for increasing the 

 electrical effect of this new kind of pile, to fix, by pasting, 

 that paper on one of the metals. I made this experiment 

 on zinc, and copper or silver, the former of which becomes 

 positive and the two other negative while in contact, and on 

 pewter, which in contact with zinc becomes negative, and 

 positive with silver or copper. An additional proof, that 

 there is neither positive nor negative state belonging to any 

 k'md of body. The general result of these experiments, 

 detailed in p. 245 of my paper, was, that there is a sensible 

 increase of effect by pasting the paper on that metal, which 

 in contact with the other becomes negative by losing some 

 of its electric fluid and yielding it to the other; such as 

 silver and copper with zinc. 



This opening thoprospect of obtaining a spontaneous and Construction 

 permanent electric machine, the power of which might be to which this 

 increased almost without limit by increasing the number of 

 groups, I was going to undertake it in some measure, by 

 pasting paper over copper plates of the same size of my zinc 

 plates ; when luckily it occurred to my recollection, that there 

 was paper on which copper was ready laid, called Dutch' 

 gilt paper. The experiment 27. p. 246 of my above-men- 

 tioned paper, relates my first trial. I constructed one of 

 these new piles consisting of seventy-six groups of the same 

 zinc-plates of \-Q inch diameter, separated by equal pieces 

 of Dutch-gilt paper, all the copper sides of which were turn- 

 ed towards the same extremity of the column. Thus 1 had 

 seventy-six groups of zinc and copper in mutual contact, 

 separated by the paper on which the copper was laid. IS ow, 

 these seventy-six groups produced greater electrical effects 



at 



