CHAP. XIII. CONCLUSION. i85 



the electric current into magnetism. Conversion 

 implies a change, a loss on one side and a gain on 

 the other. 



Faeaday^ commences the ' Nineteenth Series of Ms 

 Researches' with stating, " I have long held an opinion, 

 almost amounting to conviction, in common I believe 

 with many other lovers of natural knowledge, that 

 the various forms under which the forces of matter 

 are made manifest have one common origin ; or, in 

 other words, are so directly related and mutually 

 dependent, that they are convertible, as it were, one 

 into another, and possess equivalents of power in 

 their action." De. Carpenter" observes, " starting 

 with the abstract notion of Force, as emanating at 

 once from the Divine Will, we might say that this 

 force, operating through inorganic matter, manifests 

 itself in electricity, magnetism, light, heat, chemical 

 affinity, and mechanical motion ; but that when 

 directed through organized structures, it effects the 

 operations of growth, developement, chemico-vital 

 transformations, and the like ; and is further meta- 

 morphosed, through the instrumentality of the 

 structures thus generated, into nervous agency 

 and muscular power." It appears to me, that we 

 should be justified in considering this Force which 

 Db. Carpenter speaks of to be Polar Force, and 

 that the different forms under which the various 

 forces are made manifest, as electricity, magnetism, 



>> Experimental Eesearches, vol. iii. p.l. 

 •^ Loc. cit. 



