528 Lecture on a new property of Magnetism. 



are drawn. The force is still more powerful when I bring the ex- 

 tremities of the poles close together. Here is an iron chain ; and 

 that you may have some notion of the manner in which a body is 

 influenced, I will let you see the effect the magnet has on this chain. 

 I have here got something apparently different from what I had 

 before : I have got a body which I can bring into any shape, and 

 which appears to be, while under this magnetic influence, a soft solid 

 substance. I have now formed it into a bridge in the air. The 

 parts cannot separate, because they are connected by links ; but they 

 are also kept from separating by the magnetic influence. "When 

 contact is broken, it becomes a common chain as it was before. In 

 this manner you get a beautiful indication of the strange condition of 

 the space extending between pole and pole, by all the matter brought 

 into it. At present I am giving you common magnetic effects ; 

 by and by I will give you others. 



It is worth while to show that, as regards lead, there is no action 

 of this kind ; it makes no difference whether there is a magnet or 

 not. These leaden balls roll about just as before, there is no place 

 of rest, there is nothing determined by the magnet upon the lead 

 under these circumstances. There is an effect which I want to show 

 you, but I will show it by and by with other substances than lead. 

 Still, as regards common action, there is none on these bodies. Here 

 are some iron filings, which are very beautiful and very instructive, 

 because they teach us better what goes through the whole space than 

 does a nail or two. When contact is made you see first that the 

 power affects the edges most ; I make the extremities pointed that I 

 may get an increase of power on the points. If I put the whole of 

 the filings down they fall into a mere unarranged mass, taking any 

 shape you please ; but when contact is made we can draw them 

 out, and it is beautiful to see the manner in which they hang on 

 each other. Observe the broken lines of force which they represent, 

 and the mode in which you can raise an enormous amount of matter 

 against gravity. Having been formed into a mass, you can make 

 them into a bridge or arch in the air. It is remarkable to see such 

 a space influenced, and the power imparted through the current. 



Having given you these illustrations of the power of magnetic 

 matter, I must point out that we are able to get a power from mag- 



