B20 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



fine globules of steam, and water issuing from the atomizer had no 

 effect in dissipating the electricity of the quadrant. 



I also performed two very striking experiments, which seemed 

 to have some bearing upon this subject. The instruments used 

 were the same as in the former experiments ; and the manipulation 

 was as follows : — 



Eccjd % 1. — Carefully insulate a wire communicating with the 

 electrometer, and place its point within a few inches of the 

 flame of an insulated Bunsen burner. Let the spot of light be at 

 the zero-point. Electrify the vulcanite plate with the catskin, 

 and hold it at an equal distance from flame and wire point. It is 

 very difficult under these conditions to sufficiently electrify the 

 quadrant so as to produce any deflection of the spot of light. 



Exp. 2. — Place the wire point in the flame and then hold the 

 electrified vulcanite plate up to the flame as before. The spot of 

 light immediately is violently deflected, indicating the presence of 

 electricity in the quadrant. This charge, however, is soon dissi- 

 pated by the flame, and the spot quickly returns to the zero-point. 



These last experiments seem to indicate that the flame has a 

 much greater attraction for the electricity of the vulcanite plate 

 than the copper point of the wire. Hence the difficulty of 

 charging the quadrant in the first experiment. 



"When, however, the wire is in direct communication with the 

 flame, as in the second experiment, the flame and the quadrant are 

 ■at the same potential, and the increase of electricity in the flame 

 produces a corresponding deflection of the spot of light. — Sillhnan's 

 American Journal, September 1874. 



ON THE STRATIFICATION OF THE ELECTRIC LIGHT. 

 BY M. NEYRENEUF. 



The stratifications of the electric light can be obtained in the 

 following circumstances, which permit the production, with static 

 electricity, of inversions of the charge as rapid as those given by 

 the employment of the Euhmkorff coil. 



Suppose the two condensers of Holtz's machine united by a 

 G-eissler tube instead of communicating by a continuous me- 

 tallic plate. Place the exciting stem of the machine so as to obtain 

 only small sparks in very rapid succession. Two opposite currents, 

 one of charge, the other of discharge, will then pass through the 

 G-eissler tube ; and very distinct stratifications will be seen. It is 

 necessary, in order to succeed even with very long and wide tubes, 

 to replace the ordinary small bottles by jars of large dimensions. 

 Those which I used had a surface of 1873 square centimetres. — 

 Compfes Mendus de V Academic des Sciences, vol. lxxix. p. 158. 



