$8 
~ The Historical and Romantic Ballads 
edited by Mr. Finzay, are now nearly 
ready for publication, in two volumes 
octave. The greater part of these an- 
cient poems have never before been pub- 
lished. 
The second volume of the New Lon- 
don Medical Dictionary, completing the 
work, and illustrated with a great num- 
ber of plates, is in forwardness, and will 
be published in March. 
A new edition of Miss Encwortn’s 
Jrish Bulls, altered and very much im- 
proved, will be ready in a few days. 
An edition of the late Mr. Harmer’s 
Observations on Scripture, with nume- 
rous additions by the Rev. A. Clarke 
{one edition of which was lately consum- 
ed by a fire in Fleet-street), is reprinting, 
and may be expected in March. 
Mr. Nicuors having published the 
sixth portion of his great History of Lei- 
cestershire, announces the seventh and 
last portion of this comprehensive work, 
{cotitaining the Hundred of Sparkenhoe) 
and states, that it will be published as 
speedily as the nature of so laborious an 
undertaking will pernut. The plates for 
that part (unless any additional ones 
should hereafter be added) are all en- 
graved. 
Mr. Crass will shortly publish a se- 
cond part of the work called the Precep- 
tor and his Pupils, containing dialogues, 
examinations, and exercises, on the two 
succeeding parts of grammar, namely, 
Syntax and Prosody. 
The friends of the late Rev. Gronce 
Waker, F.R.S. President of the Lite- 
rary Society of Manchester, will learn 
with satisfaction that his third and fourth 
volumes of Sermons, together with a new 
edition of the first and second, will ap- 
pear in the cuurse of themonth. His two 
volumes of Essays, Philosophical, Lite- 
rary, and Moral, will appear in the course 
_of a few months, to which will be pre- 
fixed Memoirs ot lis Life. 
Miss Savory, author of a short poem 
entitled Inspiration, has in the press a 
volume of Original Poetical Tales, found- 
ed on interesting facts. 
In the course of next month will be 
published the Pastoral Care, a didactic 
poem, in three parts, by the Rev. J. 
Grant, M.A. 
In the Bakerian Lecture for 1806, Mr. 
Davy has illustrated some important che- 
mical agencies of electricity. In this inter- 
esting communication soine new and ge- 
neral philosophical principles are deve 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. 
[Feb. 1, 
loped and elucidated by a great number 
of minute and accurate experiments. 
The first principle is, “ that ali bodies ca- 
pable of entering into chemical combi- 
nation are in opposite electrical states, 
or (to use the words of the author) have 
opposite electrical energies; these states, 
or energies being more exalted in propor- 
tion to the degree of affinity, and hence 
attracuon and union would take place 
between them, independent of any other 
power than electricity. 2. That bodies 
which do not combine, are uniformly 
found by the mcst delicate instruments to 
exhibit the same electrical states or 
energy, so that on common electrical 
principles, they cannot attract; but may 
repel each other. 3. That bodies may 
have their afiinities increased, modified, 
or destroyed, by an alteration of their 
electrical states by artificialmeans, The 
first principle seems demonstrated by 
every fact advanced, nor is there ore 
anomaly. Zinc and copper by contact, 
are the one positive, the other negative, 
according to Volta’s experiments, and 
they combine when heated. The case is 
similar with gold and mercury, with silver 
and mercury, with tin and copper, and 
with all other metals that enter into che- 
mical union. Oxygen and acids, Mr. 
Davy finds, are naturally negative: hy- 
drogen and inflammable bodies in gene- 
ral, and alkalies positive. The author il- 
lustrated the second principle by experi- 
ments on solid acids, metals, and alka- 
line earths, which’do not enter into com- 
bination; and he finds that they do not 
exhibit any electrical energies with re- 
gard to each other, when brought into 
contact. The demonstration of the third 
principle which is in the highest degree 
interesting and important, occupies by far 
the largest part of the paper, and has led 
to some very astonishing results. By 
having its positive electricity anniluilat- 
ed by negative electricity artificially ex- 
cited, a nietal is made to quit its oxygen; 
and the acid in which it was dissolved. 
When an alkali is rendered negative, it 
refuses to combine with acids, and acids 
when mide positive refuse to combine 
with alkalies. And the acids and alka- 
lies in neutral compounds are separated 
from each other by being placed in the 
Voltaic circle: and so great is the power 
of electrical decomposition, that it acts 
upon insoluble as well. as soluble mate- 
rials, Glass, sulphate of barytes, sul- 
phate of stroutites, stones containing al- 
kalies or acids, are all decomposed by 
electricity. 
