72 The Principles of Magnetism. [February, 
The current of galvanic electricity consists of a series of 
instantaneous currents, and ceases when chemical equili- 
brium is restored. The current of thermo-eledtricity is 
likewise composed of instantaneous components, and ceases 
when temperature equilibrium is restored. Thus eledtric 
currents are a consequence of the effort to produce equili- 
brium of forces, or of heterogeneous motive conditions to 
become homogeneous, and can only continue while this 
restoration of equilibrium is in process of being produced. 
If there were disturbances of equilibrium of force in mole- 
cules, they could produce no effedt while the disturbed con- 
dition continued unchanged. Only while equilibrium was 
being restored could eledtric currents arise, and they must 
cease when this process was completed. Such an adtion 
would probably be instantaneous. It is impossible to con- 
ceive of any point of a molecule being constantly over- 
heated, or in an unceasing state of chemical change, in 
spite of the constant effort to restore its force equilibrium. 
Therefore it is impossible to yield assent to the Amperian 
hypothesis of magnetism. 
In fadt the constancy and the peculiar relations of mag- 
netic energy can be understood only under the hypothesis of 
attraction already advanced by the writer. If attraction be 
a result of the action of motion upon motion, parallel mo- 
tions attracting, opposite motions repelling, the whole diffi- 
culty vanishes. Let us suppose atoms to consist — as 
advanced in my last article in this Journal — of minute 
masses of ether, rapidly rotating, and having the form either 
of spheres, of circular disks, or of circular rings, according 
to the relations of vigour between their centrifugal and their 
centripetal energies. If this motion of rotation exert an 
attraction upon all similar motions, and a repulsion upon all 
reverse motions, the atom would adt as a magnet, this un- 
ceasing motion, with its force relations, answering every 
requirement of the impossible eledtric currents of Ampere. 
Every atom would have two magnetic poles of equal vigour, 
its axis of rotation forming the magnetic axis, and the two 
poles of this axis the magnetic poles, each of which would 
attradt the unlike and repel the like poles of every other 
atom. 
If such be the constitution and the magnetic relations of 
an atom, we may ask, What is the constitution and the 
magnetic relations of a molecule ? Twice already, in this 
paper, the probable arrangement of a mass of small mag- 
nets has been considered. It is not necessary again to 
repeat it. But a molecule composed of magnetic atoms 
