370 



Mr. H. G. Armstrong on the Electricity 



teen closely printed pages, strikes me as a little extraordinary, 

 but perhaps this arises from my imperfect acquaintance with the 

 nice distinctions of your language. I leave it to my English 

 readers to determine, with what degree of justice results de- 

 duced from a greater number of contemporary observations, 

 than (as I believe) had ever previously or have even since 

 been brought together, can be represented as no more than 

 ingenious speculations. 



I am, dear Sir, yours with much esteem, 

 Berlin, Sept. 30, 1840. H. W. Dove. 



LV. On the Electricity of a Jet of Steam issuing from a Boiler, 

 By H. G. Armstrong, Esq.> in Letters to Professor 

 Faraday*. 

 Sir, 

 A FEW days ago, I was informed that a very extraordinary 

 ■*■*- electrical phenomenon, connected with the efflux of steam 

 from the safety-valve of a steam-engine boiler, had been ob- 

 served at Seghill, about six miles from Newcastle. I there- 

 fore took an early opportunity of going over to that place, to 

 investigate the truth of what I had heard, and by so doing 

 I have ascertained the precise facts of the case, which appear 

 to me to possess so much novelty and importance, that I deem 

 it right to transmit the particulars to you, believing that in 

 your hands they will prove most conducive to the advance- 

 ment of science. Without further preface, I shall proceed to 

 narrate what I saw and heard on the spot. 



There is nothing remarkable in the construction of the 

 boiler, which is supported upon brick-masonry in the usual 

 way. The annexed sketch represents an end view of the 



* Communicated by Professor Faraday. 



