52 DR. FARADAY’S EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCHES IN ELECTRICITY. (SERIES XXI.) 
by water, and then subjected to the magnetic force ; they all pointed axially, and, as 
far as I could perceive, with equal force. Being placed in alcohol the same effect 
occurred. 
2413. The same preparations being surrounded by air, or by carbonic acid gas, 
all set equatorially. 
2414. The axial position of the tubes in the liquid (2412.) depends, doubtless, 
upon the relation of the contents of the tube to the surrounding medium ; for as far 
as the matter of the tube is concerned, it alone would have tended to give the equa- 
torial position. In the following succeeding experiments (2413.), where the tubes of 
gases were in surrounding gases, the equatorial position is due to this effect of the 
glass of the tube ; and that it should produce its constant feeble effect, undisturbed 
by all the variations of the gases and vapours, is a proof how like and how indifferent 
these are one to the other. 
2415. I suspended a tube of liquid sulphurous acid in gaseous sulphurous acid; 
when under the magnetic influence, the liquid pointed well equatorially. I sur- 
rounded liquid nitrous acid by gaseous nitrous acid ; the liquid pointed well equato- 
rially. I placed liquid ether in the vapour of ether; the former pointed equatorially. 
Upon suspending the tube of vapour of ether in liquid ether, the vapour pointed 
axially. 
2416. In every kind of trial, therefore, and' in every form of experiment, the gases 
and vapours still occupy a medium position between the magnetic and the diamag- 
netic classes. Further, whatever the chemical or other properties of the substances, 
however different in their specific gravity, or however varied in their own degree of 
rarefaction, they all become alike in their magnetic relation, and apparently equiva- 
lent to a perfect vacuum. Bodies which are very marked as diamagnetic substances, 
immediately lose all traces of this character when they become vaporous (2415.). 
It would be exceedingly interesting to know whether a body from the magnetic 
class, as chloride of iron, would undergo the same change. 
vii. General considerations. 
2417- Such are the facts which, in addition to those presented by the phenomena 
of light, establish a magnetic action or condition of matter new to our knowledge. 
Under this action, an elongated portion of such matter usually (2253. 2384.) places 
itself at right angles to the lines of magnetic force ; this result may be resolved into 
the simpler one of repulsion of the matter by either magnetic pole. The set of the 
elongated portion, or the repulsion of the whole mass, continues as long as the mag- 
netic force is sustained, and ceases with its cessation. 
2418. By the exertion of this new condition of force, the body moved may pass 
either along the magnetic lines or across them ; and it may move along or across 
them in either or any direction. So that two portions of matter, simultaneously 
subject to this power, may be made to approach each other as if they were mutually 
