:53s Dr. ingen housz’s 'Method 
time requifite before they are again fixed in the true 
magnetical meridian. 
Since the late Dr. knight has improved fo greatly the 
method of communicating a confiderable magnetical 
force to fteel bars, needles have been impregnated with a 
much greater and more permanent polarity than it was 
poflible to give them before, and the conftrudtion itfelf 
of compafles has been confiderably improved. But the 
fubjedt feems not yet to be exhaufted. 
The degree of magnetical power or polarity to be com- 
municated to fteel well hardened feems to depend in 
■ fome refpedt on the proportion which the furface of the 
piece of fteel to be impregnated bears to its bulk; fo that 
:a thin lamella of fteel, weighing for inftance ten grains, 
■will acquire more magnetical force than a little lump of 
-fteel of the fame weight. Thus a fmall magnet, com- 
.pofed of a great many thin lamina of fteel prefted toge- 
ther, may be made fo ftrong as to fupport 150 times its 
• own weight, and even more, which has never yet been 
done by a compound heavy magnet. 
If the too great quivering and horizontal motion, or 
the too great reftleflhefs of a ftrong magnetical needle, is 
■in fome way or other counteracted by the methods 
hitherto adopted, the needle is in fome danger of flop- 
ping near the true magnetical meridian, without always 
pointing 
