APPLICATION OF ELECTRICO-MAGNETIC POWER TO MECHANICS. 337 
Let us take the mean of these three expe- 
riments : 
Loss of weight by 1st .. .. 32*5 grs. 
2nd 34*5 
3rd 35-0 
3)102 
Mean 34 grains-. 
Here the error amounts to 0*245 grains 
which is considerably less than 1 per cent. If, 
therefore, three trials be made, the error will 
be under 1 percent. ; so that the method is quite 
sufficient to indicate very nearly the quantity 
of binoxide of manganese in any ore. Now, it 
is the binoxide of manganese alone that is 
useful to the manufacturer; the sesqui-oxide 
and red oxide availing very little in the pre- 
paration of chlorine, for which almost alone 
the ore is used by manufacturers. 
I tried various other proportions of the 
ingredients, but found the preceding the 
best. I tided, also, the effect of rubbing up 
in a mortar the oxalic acid and black oxide. 
But the error is least when the oxalic acid 
is merely poured into the water, and the 
black oxide added before the acid is dissol- 
ved. Unless the sulphuric acid be added 
last, we cannot be sure of our weights.' 
ON THE APPLICAllON OF ELEC- 
d RIGO-MAGNETIC POWER TO 
MECHANICS. 
By M. J. D. Botto, Turin. 
The singular energy with which magnetic 
action is developed in soft iron, under the in- 
fluence of electi icily in motion, is well known. 
As the possibility of applying this new power 
to mechanical purposes involves a subject of 
much interest, 1 have been induced to make 
known tlie results which 1 have obtained.* 
The mechanism which 1 employed consists 
of a lever put in motion, after the fashion of a 
melronom, l>y the alternate action of two fixed 
electiico-magnetic cylinders, operating upon a 
third cylinder which is moveable, and attached 
to the lower arm of the lever, whilst the su- 
perior arm maintains a constant swinging 
movement; which is regulated, in llie ordi- 
nary method, by a metallic wheel. 
'I'he apparatus was so disposed, tliat the axes 
of the three cylindeis, all i erfectly equal, be- 
ing situated in the same vertical plane, and 
perpendicular to the axis of motion, the 
oscillatoiy cylinder, by one of its extremi- 
ties, alternatively came in contact witli, and 
in tlie direction of, the one or liie other 
of the other two cylinders, placed at the ex- 
treme limits of its movements ; and each time, 
at this very in-tant, the direction of the mag- 
netiaing current in its spiral was changed, toe 
lest of the circuit maintaining the same diiec- 
* I may here I’emark, that the expectancy of 
giving a wider range to my experiments, and 
also my being under the necessity of leaving 
town, have produced considerable delay iu tbe 
pu lication of these facts. I have now, how- 
ever, determined to announce them, from hav- 
ing seen in the last num' er of Gazette Piemon- 
faise, that M. Jacobi of Konigsberg has suc- 
ceeded iu obtaining perpetual motion simply 
by means of electrico-magnetic influence. 
tion, so as to produce poles of the same name 
with those in the fixed cylinders, at the two 
extremities, situated in relation with the moving 
cylinder. The change of direction, which we 
have just been mentioning, is obtained with 
the help of a piece of mechanism, on the prin- 
ciple of a balance, and known under the name 
of a Bascule, where the very movement of the 
macliine itself inverts the communications. 
It is clear that, on account of this arrange- 
ment, the middle cylinder must undergo al- 
ternating agreeing influences of attraction 
and repulsion, in virtue of which the mecha- 
ni.sm puts itself in motion, to all appearance 
spontaneously, and so actively maintains it. . 
by the arrangement of the magnetic force.s 
which incite it, and which are sustained by 
the electrical currents. 
I have tried to succeed without the spiral 
of the middle cylinder, by making the two 
fixed magnetized cylinders alternately act 
upon it. An adhesion, however, which con- 
tinued alter the ce-isation of the magnetic 
currents, very much diminished the mechani- 
cal effect; whilst, on the other hand, in the 
other arrangement, the adhesion not only 
ceased, but was converted to a certain extent 
into repulsion, with a rapidity equal to that 
of the current itself, which, scarcely for an 
instant interrupted by the play of the (bascule) 
pendulum, precipitated itself (the com- 
munication being inverted) into the spiral of 
the middle cylinder, in a contrary way to its 
former direction, at the same time resuming 
its ordinary course in the other two spirals. 
The niovemeni of the lever, and of the 
regulator, resulting from this arrangement, 
IS perfectly free. Commencing slowly, it 
speedily and by degrees acquires the maxi- 
mum of the velocity which the energy of the 
curients wliich produce it allows of, a velo- 
city which is then maintained as equally as 
the intensity of the cu: rent itself, and as long 
as the electrical influence is preserved.* 
On the piesent occasion 1 shall say no- 
thing concetning some observations 1 had 
made upon the employment of various acid 
and salute solutions, and also of sea-waier. 
Much inteiest is excited by the contempla- 
tion of these novel effects of a power, which 
exhibits itself in a manner so different from 
that seen in most other bodies ; and we are 
almost tempted to anticipate flattering results 
from those ulterior applications, to which 
the management of this mysterious agent 
may lead.f 
♦ There is a great similarity ,both as it regards 
the gener'al arrangement of the apparatus 
and the nature of the moving principle, between 
the mechanism of M. Botto and the electrical 
clock ofM. Zamboiii. This clock is put in mo- 
tion I y a pendulum, which is a Iternately at- 
tracted and repelled by the poles of two dry 
galvanic piles, wliich are known under the 
name of Zami.oni’s piles. 
+ The Chevalier.s Avogrado and Bidare, who 
have both seen the apparatus in movement, 
have given expression to their surprise, not 
so much on account of the novelty of the fact, 
as on account of the speculations it suggested 
to those aide men. respecting the general con- 
nexion which might subsist between this sim- 
ple result and the progress of science and me- 
chanism. 
