8,0 



sometliing of its secondary characters, as developed in the 

 attributes or effects of that great agency. When they com- 

 bined dissimilar substances, such as a drop of acid, and a 

 drop, in solution, of an alkali, they had chemical action, and 

 a change in the nature of the substances, from their original 

 elements. This change came under the denomination of 

 chemical action, and was, apparently, one of the influences or 

 effects of the mysterious agency he was speaking of. And 

 when this took place there was very generally a change of 

 temperature — heat being frequently evolved. Change in 

 electric condition also took place ; and a great development 

 of electric action was another of the effects. At the same 

 time there was an exhibition of magnetic phenomena. All 

 these developments, it seemed, arose out of the operation or 

 action of some great agent with which they were unacquaint- 

 ed. No doubt it was of that mysterious kind which never 

 will be understood, nor ever could be apprehended by our 

 present faculties, excepting so far as we learnt and knew its 

 effects on different material substances. It was an agent 

 which came a step nearer than those comprehensible to us, to 

 that Great Being who was. infinitely mighty and mysterious. 

 In every substance in nature, whenever a chemical change 

 took place, there was a development of magnetic pheno- 

 mena. The magnetic principle, if he might call it a princi- 

 ple, which in popular language he might do, abode in every 

 substance in nature — in a piece of wood, or a piece of brass, 

 or silver, as well as in iron. Proof of this was had in the 

 fact to which he had alluded, that whatever produced chemi- 

 cal action in any substance, developed something of magnetic 

 phenomena. If they placed a piece of any kind of metal 

 between the poles of a galvanic battery, so that it formed a 

 conducting medium between the zinc and the copper, it 

 became instantly magnetic. There was very little difference 

 between the magnetic energy developed in one metal and 



