JOURNAL 



ASIATIC SOCIETY 



The Galvanic Battery in its various Practical Applications as an 

 Igniting Agent. — By Lieut. R. Baird Smith, Bengal Engineers. 



Introductory Remarks. 



The dependence of the action of the Galvanic Battery on chemical 

 principles, the excitation of that action by the employment of chemical 

 agents, and the habit of considering the Battery as an instrument of 

 scientific research rather than of practical utility, have tended, to a 

 certain extent, to excite impressions unfavourable to its extensive ap- 

 plicability in engineering operations. Practical men naturally dread 

 employing any agent of whose nature they are not thoroughly 

 cognizant, and are therefore liable to be prejudiced against the Battery, 

 by finding themselves unable to apprehend the rationale of its effects. 

 To aid in the removal of such an impression, it may be remarked that 

 an acquaintance with the theory of the Battery, is by no means 

 essential to the comprehension of its mechanical details and applica- 

 tions, as a little experience would immediately prove. A iew op- 

 portunities of observing the Battery in action, of noting the different 

 manipulations, such as forming connections, apportioning solutions, &c. 

 will, with common intelligence, enable any one to employ it indepen- 

 dently. The remembrance of what has already been done, both at 

 home and in this country, will also tend to remove any farther pre- 

 judice which may exist against the practical application of the Galvanic 

 Battery. 



No. 108. New Series, No. 24. 7 h 



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