﻿Skey, 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Movements 
  of 
  Camphor 
  on 
  Water, 
  483 
  

  

  Now, 
  if 
  tlie 
  conclusions 
  stated 
  above 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  correct, 
  any 
  

   substance 
  floating 
  upon 
  a 
  clear 
  surface 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  discharging 
  oil 
  thereon, 
  

   should 
  describe 
  motion, 
  and 
  motion 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  character 
  as 
  that 
  which 
  you 
  

   have 
  seen 
  camj)hor 
  make. 
  Well, 
  this 
  is, 
  I 
  find, 
  precisely 
  what 
  does 
  happen 
  

   when 
  the 
  experiment 
  is 
  performed, 
  

  

  I 
  rub 
  this 
  small 
  piece 
  of 
  cork 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  little 
  turpentine 
  oil 
  ; 
  it 
  has 
  

   now 
  absorbed 
  this 
  oil, 
  and 
  appears 
  but 
  little 
  different 
  from 
  another 
  piece 
  of 
  

   cork 
  I 
  have 
  here, 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  oiled. 
  I 
  place 
  both 
  upon 
  water, 
  and 
  

   now 
  you 
  can 
  see 
  that 
  while 
  the 
  clean 
  piece 
  of 
  cork 
  remains 
  stationary 
  

   thereon, 
  the 
  oiled 
  piece 
  moves 
  about 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  vigorous 
  and 
  eccentric 
  

   manner, 
  imitating 
  the 
  motion 
  of 
  camphor 
  so 
  closely 
  that, 
  except 
  for 
  the 
  

   difference 
  which 
  exists 
  between 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  (the 
  camphor 
  and 
  the 
  

   cork), 
  one 
  would 
  take 
  them 
  as 
  they 
  move 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  thing. 
  

  

  Like 
  effects 
  follow 
  when 
  any 
  non-volatile 
  oil 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  turpen- 
  

   tine. 
  These 
  experiments 
  are 
  surely 
  crucial 
  tests 
  as 
  regards 
  the 
  correctness 
  

   or 
  otherwise 
  of 
  the 
  theory 
  I 
  have 
  proposed 
  to 
  you. 
  

  

  I 
  will 
  only 
  add 
  to 
  this 
  by 
  stating 
  that, 
  should 
  further 
  research 
  prove 
  

   that 
  the 
  several 
  deductions 
  I 
  have 
  here 
  made 
  to 
  you 
  are 
  correct, 
  a 
  decisive 
  

   blow 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  popular 
  theory 
  that 
  vapours 
  are 
  directly 
  repellent, 
  

   as 
  they 
  are 
  emitted 
  in 
  presence 
  of 
  air, 
  from 
  substances 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  tem- 
  

   perature 
  and 
  pressure 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  their 
  surroundings* 
  ; 
  and 
  also, 
  as 
  I 
  believe, 
  

   to 
  the 
  theory 
  that 
  a 
  repulsive 
  property 
  is 
  innate 
  in 
  our 
  oils, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is, 
  as 
  

   it 
  were, 
  developed 
  into 
  action 
  whenever 
  water 
  is 
  placed 
  nearly 
  in 
  contact 
  

   with 
  them. 
  I 
  say 
  nearly 
  in 
  contact, 
  for 
  the 
  contact 
  which 
  ensues 
  on 
  collision 
  

   of 
  bodies 
  may 
  also 
  cause 
  repulsion, 
  but 
  not 
  repulsion 
  in 
  the 
  sense 
  I 
  use 
  it 
  

   here, 
  viz., 
  that 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  used 
  and 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  hmited 
  by 
  physicists 
  

   when 
  they 
  deal 
  with 
  this 
  particular 
  matter. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  connection 
  I 
  cannot 
  refrain 
  from 
  stating 
  to 
  you 
  my 
  belief 
  that 
  

   repulsion 
  and 
  its 
  correlative 
  attraction, 
  whether 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  electricity, 
  

   magnetism, 
  or 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  masses 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  each 
  other, 
  are 
  not 
  

   direct 
  results 
  indicating 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  two 
  properties, 
  but 
  are 
  secondary 
  ones 
  

   brought 
  about 
  by 
  and 
  indicating 
  modification 
  of 
  matter. 
  

  

  Postscript. 
  

   I 
  have 
  lately 
  been 
  successful 
  in 
  getting 
  results 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  

   demonstrate 
  that 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  water 
  is 
  chemicalhj 
  affected 
  by 
  camphor, 
  and, 
  

   in 
  the 
  second 
  place, 
  I 
  got 
  results 
  which 
  completely 
  explodes 
  the 
  current 
  idea 
  

   that 
  vapours 
  in 
  their 
  emission 
  drive 
  solids 
  away 
  from 
  them, 
  as 
  per 
  se. 
  

  

  I. 
  Water 
  which 
  has 
  had 
  camphor 
  moving 
  over 
  its 
  surface 
  a 
  long 
  time, 
  

   refuses 
  to 
  gyrate 
  camphor 
  ; 
  its 
  surface 
  acquii'es 
  a 
  somewhat 
  

   resinous 
  lustre, 
  being, 
  in 
  fact, 
  more 
  refractive 
  of 
  light 
  than 
  

  

  * 
  Vapours, 
  of 
  coui'se, 
  are 
  always 
  in 
  a 
  repellent 
  condition 
  as 
  they 
  rush 
  into 
  a 
  vacuum. 
  

  

  