Experimental Researches in Electricity. 101 



former is more powerful in producing this effect than the 

 latter. M. Grotthuss considers that the elements of water, 

 when about to separate at the poles, combine with the electri- 

 cities, and become gases ; while M. de la Rive maintains the 

 exact reverse of this, namely, that these elements while pass- 

 ing through the fluid, are compounds with the electricities : 

 when evolved at the poles, they are de-electrified. 



"I have sought," says Faraday, " amongst the various expe- 

 riments quoted in support of these views, or connected with 

 electro-chemical decompositions or electric currents, for any 

 which might be considered as sustaining the theory of two 

 electricities rather than that of one, but have not been able 

 to perceive a single fact, which could be brought forward 

 for such a purpose : or admitting the hypothesis of two elec- 

 tricities, much less have I been able to perceive the slightest 

 grounds for believing that one electricity in a current can 

 be more powerful than the other, or that it can be present 

 without the other, or that one can be varied, or in the slight- 

 est degree affected, without a corresponding variation in the 

 other. If upon the supposition of two electricities, a cur- 

 rent of one can be obtained without the other, or the current 

 of one be exalted or diminished more than the other, we 

 might surely expect some variation of the chemical or mag- 

 netical effect, or of both : but no such variations have been 

 observed. A current has not, to my knowledge, been pro- 

 duced, which could act chemically and not magnetically, nor 

 any which can act on the magnet, and not at the same time 

 chemically. 



Judging from facts only, there is not as yet the slightest 

 reason for considering the influence which is present in what 

 we call the electric current, whether in metals or fused 

 bodies, or humid conductors, or even in air, flame, or rarefi- 

 ed elastic media, as a compound or complicated influence. 

 It has never been resolved into simples or elementary influ- 

 ences, and may perhaps best be considered of as an axis 



