2 
connexion -with matter though force 
may be transferred in various forms 
from one portion of matter to another. 
The mode of action of electricity is singularly 
like that of a fluid, hence it was for a long 
time called the electric fluid. Supposing 
that a tube were substituted for the wire 
which carries the electricity. Water passing 
through the. tube might act in a somewhat 
similar manner provided proper arrange¬ 
ments could Ire made for its action upon the 
wheels of the ear. There is one great differ 
ence, however, which is that force, e.g. 
electricity is not subject to the action of 
gravity while water is. Hence you see that 
water will not run upwards while electricity 
will go equally in all directions. The 
electricity that i nns away from the car after 
having done its work in propelling it is just 
the same electricity as before and so would 
water be the same water as before in the 
like case ; but it could not be used to do the 
same work again without a fresh accession 
of energy. To illustrate this I wifi give you 
another case. Supposing that instead of a 
tube carrying water or a wire carrying 
electricity you substitute a rope with appro¬ 
priate arrangements for drawing the cars (as 
in fact is done with cable cars) and supposing 
a string of cars hung on to this rope and 
being drawn by it, the rope being driven 
directly by the steam engine and therefore 
needing no dynamo to convert its energy into 
electricity ; supposing that the load was just 
such and no less than the engine could 
cany, then if another car were attached the 
rope though the same rope with the same 
power pulling it, would stop or go slower. So 
if the electricity that runs by t he exhaust wire 
from the cars were put to do additional work 
an additional strain must be put upon the en¬ 
gine to enable it tojdo that work. Like a rope, 
too, the con d uctor carrying the elcetri city must 
be endless : it must either return iuto itself 
or it must pass off without obstruction into 
t he general and infinite reservoir of force or • 
electricity ; there must be a free outlet or 
exhaust for it or it could not' work. In 
the solid wire acts towards electricity j.aist 
an open tube acts towards water. '>t i- but 
a few yaids from the stopping place of the 
car to the booking office and ’tform of the 
railway and this is a grea}'. c,:mv.mmnce for 
all who travel often by rail on business or 
pleasure. But it brings/ o an mind how- 
much better it would lrav' been in the pub¬ 
lic interest generally to -have had two 
tram lines instead of i.hr e ih ugh thte 
town—-namely, one pass in; by.; hoot Vincent 
