ACTION OF MAGNETS ON BISMUTH AND OTHER METALS. 
33 
alcohol, ether, oil, mercury, &c., and also when inclosed within vessels of earth, glass, 
copper, lead, &c. (22/2.), or when screens of 075 or 1 inch in thickness of bismuth, 
copper, or lead intervene. Even when a bismuth cube (2266.) was placed in an iron 
vessel inches in diameter and 0* 1 7 of an inch in thickness, it was well and freely 
repelled by the magnetic pole. 
2302. Whether the bismuth be in one piece or in very fine powder, appears to 
make no difference in the character or in the degree of its magnetic property 
(2283.). 
2303. I made many experiments with masses and bars of bismuth suspended, or 
otherwise circumstanced, to ascertain whether two pieces had any mutual action on 
each other, either of attraction or repulsion, whilst jointly under the influence of the 
magnetic forces, but I could not find any indication of such mutual action : they ap- 
peared to be perfectly indifferent one to another, each tending only to go from stronger 
to weaker points of magnetic power. 
2304. Bismuth, in very fine powder, was sprinkled upon paper, laid over the hori- 
zontal circular termination of the vertical pole (2246.). If the paper were tapped, 
the magnet not being excited, nothing particular occurred ; but if the magnetic 
power were on, then the powder retreated in both directions, inwards and outwards, 
from a circular line just over the edge of the core, leaving the circle clear, and at the 
same time showing the tendency of the particles of bismuth in all directions from 
that line (2299 . ). 
2305. When the pole was terminated by a cone (2246.) and the magnet not in ac- 
tion, paper with bismuth powder sprinkled over it being drawn over the point of the 
cone, gave no particular result ; but when the magnetism was on, such an operation 
cleared the powder from every point which came over the cone, so that a mark was 
traced or written out in clear lines running through the powder, and showing every 
place where the pole had passed. 
2306. The bar of bismuth and a bar of antimony was found to set equatorially be- 
tween the poles of the ordinary horse-shoe magnet. 
2307. The following list may serve to give an idea of the apparent order of some 
metals, as regards their power of producing these new effects, but I cannot be sure 
that they are perfectly free from the magnetic metals. In addition to that, there are 
certain other effects produced by the action of magnetism on metals (2309.) which 
greatly interfere with the results due to the present property. 
2308. I have a vague impression that the repulsion of bismuth by a magnet has 
been observed and published several years ago. If so, it will appear that what must 
Bismuth. 
Antimony. 
Cadmium. 
Mercury. 
Silver. 
Copper. 
Zinc. 
Tin. 
MDCCCXLVI. 
F 
