SUPPLEMENT. 
4i 
electricity with magnetism had been established by Dr. Faraday, 
yet, in despite of that information so promulgated, and the dis¬ 
coveries which he had made during his residence in the Arctic 
seas, he declares that he knows of no such thing as magnetic elec¬ 
tricity, and that, in regard to any identity between magnetism 
and electricity, he believes they may combine with each other; 
but he does not understand how electricity can be magnetized, in 
fact, he knows nothing at all about the matter. Indeed what other 
result could be expected from him, when he gives the following 
answer to one of the questions put to him. 
“ Then you made no observation with respect to electrical phe¬ 
nomena, which you think would be important to science ?”—“ No, 
none whatever 
“ With respect to the Aurora Borealis, it has been a matter of 
some discussion, whether the Aurora Borealis is accompanied 
with noise ?”—“ I never observed any noise with it, but I have a 
new theory of it, which I intend to publish.” 
“ Did you observe any magnetic phenomena, which you con¬ 
sider of importance, apart from the existence of the magnetic 
pole?”—“ Yes, the effect of light upon the magnet, and its 
exposure to such climates.” 
On this subject we must refer to a previous part of the ex¬ 
amination of Capt, Ross, when he attempts to explain to the 
members of the committee, the principal points connected with 
the discovery of the position of the magnetic pole. After having- 
informed the committee, that he did not know the longitude of 
the magnetic pole, he proceeds to state, “ When the compass is 
over the magnetic pole 3 the power of attraction is at right angles 
to the needle, and of course it has no power to turn in either 
direction horizontally. The effect, therefore, that light, heat, 
and all other combinations which may combine with the magnetic 
influence, is at liberty to act upon the needle, and will be unre¬ 
strained by the magnetic attraction itself, therefore, when the 
sun passes round, we saw the magnetic needle following the sun, 
proving that the sun had an influence upon the magnet, which is 
a great desideratum in science . 
And was it then unknown to Capt. Ross, that the influence 
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