ties, as soon as they have been separated, combine from parti- 

 cle to particle, thus : the negative of a with the positive of the 

 pole A, the negative of h with the positive of a, and so on to 

 the positive of X which combines with the negative of the pole B. 



This recomposition, which is instantaneous, is immediately fol- 

 lowed by a new decomposition, and this by a recomposition, 

 and so on. This succession of decomposition and of recompo- 

 sition is so rapid, that there is always, as experiment shows, an 

 electric tension in each particle of the conductor, so that we 

 can consider that the state in which it is represented in the fig- 

 ure, which we will call state of polarization, is nearly permanent 

 " Now let A'B' be a second conductor similar to the first, as 

 near to it as possible, and insulated with silk or wax. At the 

 moment we pass a current in A B, and where consequently we 

 polarize its particles, we produce in A'B' an opposite molecular 

 polarization, the + of each particle being opposite the - of each 

 particle of A B and the - before the +. It thereby follows that 

 if, at the moment when A B is traversed by a current, the two 

 extremities of A'B' are united by a conductor, such as the wire 

 of a galvanometer, the + of the 'molecule a' combines, through 

 this conductor, with the — of the molecule A', and this produces 

 an instantaneous current directed from A' to B' in the conductor, 

 and from B' to A' in the wire A'B' itself, that is to say m a 

 direction contrary to the inducing current. Also, if instead of 

 being united by a conductor, the extremities A' and B' commu- 

 nicate with the two plates of a condenser. A' will give it a 

 charge of positive electricity, and B' one of negative. As soon 

 as a' has lost its positive electricity and h' its negative, the neg- 

 ative of a' is then disguised by the positive of h\ and so on to 

 the negative of g\ which is disguised by the positive of h ; 

 these electricities do not neutralize each other, because they are 



