VOL 



VOL 



The univerfality of Voltaire's genius extended to mufic, 

 though no mufician. And in fpitc of his partiality to his 

 own country, he did the writings of Metallaiio, and the 

 Italian opera, more juftice than any of his countrymen. 

 And though he gained lefs applaufe by his lyric poetry 

 than his other poetical corapofition, he produced feveral 

 pieces for mufic, and frequently made admirable refleftions 

 on the lyric theatre. 



Voltaire has never planted his farcaftic artillery againft 

 Italian mufic or finging. And though neither a connoifieur 

 nor palTionately fond of mufic, lie feems inilinctively to 

 have felt a fuperiority in the mufic of Italy to that of 

 France ; and has been always juft to the writings of Metaf- 

 tafio. For though a defender of Quinault againil the in- 

 juftice of Boileau, he has never fet him up as a writer for 

 mufic fuperior to the imperial laureat. The truth is, that 

 Voltaire, with all the black fpots in his charafter, had a 

 natural good tafte when his judgment was not warped by 

 envy, or his paffions inflamed by the attacks of his enemies. 

 He early faw and celebrated the fcience of Newton and 

 genius of Shakfpeare. And it was not till the latter had 

 been more noticed, and the tranflation of his works more 

 patronized than his own, that, in felf-defence, he abufed 

 them. 



VOLTAISM. That branch of elcftrical fcience which 

 has its fource in the chemical aftion between metals and dif- 

 ferent liquids, and in the proofs which eftablifh its identity 

 with common eleftricity, the world owe principally to dif- 

 coveries made by fignor Volta. Its remaikable influence 

 upon animals, which firft brought it into notice, was firll 

 obferved by Galvani. Hence it was firfl: called Galvanifm 

 and afterwards Voltaifm. We fhould have treated this fub- 

 jed. wholly under Galvanism, which was then more than 

 half completed, but the latter was not finifhed in time 

 to be then publiflied. Hence the prefent article mull 

 rather be confidered as a continuation of Galvanifm, than a 

 diftinft treatife. 



Galvanifm concludes with a lift of the different galvanic 

 combinations, which will be terminated in this article, and 

 the reft will be treated in fuccefEon. We have alfo given 

 fome account of all fuch fafts as have tranfpired fince the 

 time of the publication of the firft part. 

 Table (hewing the relative quantity of bubbles upon the 

 negative wire, by immerfing a compound arc, of zinc 

 and platina, into different faline folutions at a boiling 

 heat, and at the common temperature. 

 Effea. 

 Solution. r^-'^■^^ Remarks. 



Hot. Cold. 

 Muriate of ammonia 6 •? 



Muriate of foda - 2 



Super-tartrate of potalh 4 



Nitrate of potaili 



Phofphate of foda 



Alum 



Sulphate of potafh 



Sulphate of foda 



Sulphate of magnefia 



4 

 o 

 o 

 a 



In this and other cafes, 

 where the cypher is 

 placed, it does not mean 

 that no effeft was pro- 

 duced, but that no bub- 

 bles could be feen. 



In this experiment two 

 combined arcs were ufed 

 which juft produced a 

 fenfible effeft. 



In the three laft two com- 

 bined arcs were tried, 

 but no bubbles appeared. 



The two preceding tables will give fome idea of the rela- 

 tive power of different combinations of metals, and of the 

 comparative aftion of different fluids. 



The moft powerful of the metallic combinations will be 

 feen to be zinc with platina, gold, and filver ; but zinc with 

 copper is fo little inferior, that in point of economy it will 

 always be preferred. 



Zinc with iron is, however, fo near to zinc with copper, 

 that iron might be ufed to great advantage where cheapnefs 

 is d^iirable. 



Zinc and copper are, in the prefent ftate of Galvanifm, 

 generally employed for the conftruftion of galvanic bat- 

 teries. In the trough invented by Cruickftiank, the zinc and 

 copper plates were foldered together in pairs, fo as to form 

 fo many compound plates. Thefe plates are cemented into a 

 wooden box, which is lined with the fame cement, at fuch a 

 diftance from each other, as to divide the trough into diftinft 

 cells about half wide. The order of the plates fiiould be 

 fuch that all the zinc plates face one way, and the copper 

 ones the contrary. 



A great improvement has been made upon the trough of 

 Cruicklhank, by forming the cells in the trough with plates 

 of glafs. The plates of metal are foldered together by 

 their edges, and bent at the joining, till the oppofite fides 

 become parallel, and feparate from each other about half an 

 inch. Each of thefe compound arcs is fo placed in the 

 trough with glafs plates, that the zinc plate of each arc 

 may he on one fide of the glafs, and the copper on the other, 

 and in fuch order, that the zinc plate of one arc, and the 

 copper of another, may be in each of the cells. A fecond 

 improvement has been made upon this trough. Inftead of 

 a wooden trough, divided into cells with glafs plates, the 

 whole trough is made of earthenware, each trough confift- 

 ing of ten cells. All the plates are fitted to a piece of 

 wood of the length of the trough, fo that they can be 

 taken out or put into the trough all together. When they 

 are taken out, the fluid is fuffered to remain in the trough, 

 and the plates are fufpended over it upon a gibbet attached 

 to the frame in which the earthen trough is placed. An 

 imnienfe battery upon this conftruftion, confilling of 2000 

 pairs of four-inch plates, has been lately made for the 

 Royal Inftitution. The experiments made upon it were in- 

 conceivably brilliant. The fpark was fo intenfe as to ftrike 

 through ^ fpace of fome lines of air, and of fuch dazzling 

 fplendouf as to refemble the fun. Many fubftances were 

 fufed by the heat it produced, which had not been fufed 

 before, among which were the metal called fredium, and the 

 earths zircon and alumine. Charcoal was made to evapo- 

 rate, and plumbago to fufe in vacuo. A large eleftrical 

 battery was charged by inftant contaft. 



Since the trial of this battery, one of immenfe furface 

 has been conftrucftcd by J. G. Children, efq. It confifted 

 of twenty pairs of plates of copper and zinc, each plate 

 being fix feet fquare, the whole exhibiting a zinc and copper 

 furface equal to 720 fquare feet. Each of the pairs of 

 plates was united at the top by ilrips of lead bent into an 

 arch, and fo as to allow the plates to be exaftly parallel to 

 each other. The cells were diftinft and made of wood ; 

 each pair of plates entered two cells, having the wooden 

 divifion between them. The plates were all fufpended from 

 a beam above, and counterpoifed to admit of their being 

 eafily let down into the liquid in the cells. The liquid con- 

 fifted of water with one-fixtieth of a mixture of the ful- 

 phuric and nitric acids, which was afterwards gradually in- 

 creafed to one-thirtieth. Leaden pipes were conveyed from 

 the ends of the battery to an adjoining fhade out of doors, 

 where the experiments were made. 



This battery, as a fource of heat, furpaffed any thing 



ever 



