30 DR. FARADAY’S EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCHES IN ELECTRICITY. (SERIES XX.) 
conduction, transparent or opake, solid or liquid, crystalline or amorphous, whole 
or broken, has presented itself ; whether the metals, distinct as they are as a class, 
would fall into the great generalization, or whether at last a separation would occur, 
was to me a point of the highest interest. 
2288. That the metals, iron, nickel and cobalt, would stand in a distinct class, 
appeared almost undoubted ; and it will be, I think, for the advantage of the inquiry, 
that I should consider them in a section apart by themselves. Further, if any other 
metals appeared to be magnetic, as these are, it would be right and expedient to 
include them in the same class. 
2289. My first point, therefore, was to examine the metals for any indication of 
ordinary magnetism. Such an examination cannot be carried on by magnets any- 
thing short in power of those to be used in the further investigation ; and in proof 
of this point I found many specimens of the metals, which appeared to be perfectly 
free from magnetism when in the presence of a magnetic needle, or a strong horse- 
shoe magnet (2157-)? that yet gave abundant indications when suspended near to 
one or both poles of the magnets described (2246.). 
2290. My test of magnetism was this. If a bar of the metal to be examined, 
about two inches long, was suspended (2249.) in the magnetic field, and being at 
first oblique to the axial line, was upon the supervention of the magnetic forces 
drawn into the axial position instead of being driven into the equatorial line, or 
remaining in some oblique direction, then I considered it magnetic. Or, if being 
near one magnetic pole, it was attracted by the pole, instead of being repelled, then 
I concluded it was magnetic. It is evident that the test is not strict, because, as 
before pointed out (2285.), a body may have a slight degree of magnetic force, and 
yet the power of the new property be so great as to neutralize or surpass it. In the 
first case, it might seem neither to have the one property nor the other ; in the second 
case, it might appear free from magnetism, and possessing the special property in a 
small degree. 
2291. I obtained the following metals, so that when examined as above, they did 
not appear to be magnetic ; and in fact if magnetic, were so to an amount so small 
as not to destroy the results of the other force, or to stop the progress of the inquiry. 
Antimony. Lead. 
Bismuth. Mercury. 
Cadmium. Silver. 
Copper. Tin. 
Gold. Zinc. 
2292. The following metals were, and are as yet to me, magnetic, and therefore 
companions of iron, nickel and cobalt : — 
Platinum. Titanium. 
Palladium. 
2293. Whether all these metals are magnetic, in consequence of the presence of a 
