NEW ELECTKIC LIGHT IN WESTMINSTEK CLOCK TOWER. 27 1 
portion being wound in the form of a helix — and easily brought 
up to a white heat. A round file, ^ inch in diameter and 
4 inches long, was burnt up in about five minutes, and a small 
diamond was volatilised in a few seconds. We had brought 
with us a De La Eue discharger, containing cylindrical pieces 
of zinc, steel, and copper *475 in. in diameter and about 3 
in. long. A dazzling light of various tints was instantaneously 
emitted as the different pairs of metals were brought into 
circuit, while large beads of the melting mass dropped down, 
M. Grramme records the following : — 
Heated to redness 40 ft. copper wire, *027 inches in diameter." 
,, ,, 17 ,, iron ,, *051 ,, ,, 
,, fusion 8 ,, ,, ,, *051 ,, ,, 
To give an idea of the efficiency of the machine for illumi- 
nating purposes, the electric light was projected into the 
York Eoad, when peculiarly dark and elongated shadows of 
vehicles and by-passers were cast on neighbouring houses. The 
street itself sparkled as though sown with a thousand oriental 
sapphires. The lamps grew dim, and shadows from the gas flames 
were in several instances cast on adjoining walls. The bobbins 
were making 300 revolutions per minute, and the brilliancy of 
the light was estimated nearly equal to 900 Carcel burners, 
or 8,640 sperm candles. 
The image of the carbon points on the screen was highly 
interesting. One could plainly distinguish the white glow of 
the positive carbon, the frequent transport of incandescent 
particles generally in the direction of the current, and finally 
the sharp point of the negative carbon and the conical cavities 
of the positive — the whole lit up by that wonderful arch of 
flame, to whose excessively high temperature the most refrac- 
tory metals must yield. 
The principal spectra exhibited were those of platinum, silver, 
potassium, sodium, magnesium, and strontium. Some of the 
first authorities in spectrum analysis grew quite enthusiastic 
over the extraordinary brightness of several bands, and were able 
to detect many lines never before observed. 
The Grramme machine has thus already contributed to extend 
the limits of science. What services it may yet render is a 
problem for the future. There are several physical questions 
that require to be investigated, and a few chemical controver- 
sies that need to be sifted and set at rest. Perhaps when the 
first excitement that is naturally caused by the introduction of 
a remarkable invention subsides, some attention may be paid to 
those subjects, and we should not be surprised to find the fal- 
lacy of certain hypotheses and the inaccuracy of certain nume- 
rical data clearly demonstrated. Nay more, we think that 
