330 W. A. Norton—Moleeular and Cosmical Physics, 
ordinary matter, and that the forces of electric attraction and 
repulsion may originate in such motions. But this notion can- 
not be regarded as anything more than a conjecture: since no 
conception has hitherto been formed of possible atomic move- 
ments capable of originating the electric forces, and producing 
even the simplest of the electrical phenomena. 
he existence of an electric ether has not been as conclu- 
sively established as that of the luminiferous, but all the pheno 
mena give decided intimations of the operation of such am 
agent, and thus serve to confer upon the hypothesis of an elec- 
tric ether a high probability. 
Now that the ethereal is known to be one of the forms 
which matter exists, and as we perceive that ordinary matter 
parative availability of the two hypotheses in adequey yy repre- 
senting the entire series of electrical phenomena, poth fo 7 
and in their precise laws, is the only proper ground upon wil 
tance, attract or repel each other, either actually or bike 
rar 
it 
This 
¢ ich is COR 
ceived to be at rest, so far as the natural action of other ethereal 
