to Electricity and Magnetism, - 201 



searches of Dr. Faraday, yet I am happy to state that the 

 results obtained by this distinguished philosopher are not at 

 variance with those oiven ih my pa})er. 



2. I now offer to the Society a new series of investigations 

 in the same hne, which I hope may also be considered of 

 sufficient importance to merit a place in the Transactions. 



3. The primary object of these investigations was to dis- 

 cover, if possible, inductive actions in common electricity 

 analogous to those found in galvanism. For this purpose 

 a series of experiments was commenced in the spring of 

 1836, but I was at that time diverted, in part, from the im- 

 mediate object of my research, by a new investigation of 

 the phaenomenon known in common electricity by the name 

 of the lateral discharge. Circumstances prevented my doing 

 anything further, in the way of experiment, until April last, 

 when most of the results which I now offer to the Society were 

 obtained. The investigations are not as complete, in several 

 points, as I could wish, but as my duties will not permit me 

 to resume the subject for some months to come, I therefore 

 present them as they are; knowing, from the interest excited 

 by this branch of science in every part of the world, that the 

 errors which may exist will soon be detected, and the truths 

 be further developed, 



4. The experiments are given nearly in the order in which 

 they were made; and in general they are accompanied by the 

 reflections which led to the several steps of the investigation. 

 The whole series is divided, for convenience of arrangement, 

 into six sections, although the subject may be considered as 

 consisting, principally, of two parts; the first relating to a 

 new examination of the induction of galvanic currents; and 

 the second to the discovery of analogous results in the dis- 

 charge of ordinary electricity*. 



5. The principal articles of apparatus used in the experi- 

 ments, consist of a number of flat coils of copper riband, which 

 will be designated by the names of coil No. 1, coil No. 2, 

 &c. ; also of several coils of long wire; and these, to distin- 

 guish them from the ribands, will be called helix No. 1, he- 

 lix No. 2, &c, 



6. Coil No. 1 is formed of thirteen pounds of copper plate, 

 one inch and a half wide and ninety-three feet long. It is 

 well covered with two coatings of silk, and was generally used 

 in the form represented in fig. 1, which is that of a flat spiral 

 sixteen inches in diameter. It was however sometimes formed 



* The several paragraphs are numbered in succession, from the first to 

 tlie last, after the mode adopted by Mr. Faraday, for convenience of re- 

 ference. 



