Experimental investigation of the spirit manifestations, [electronic ...

OP MATTER, MINI), AND Sl'lHIT. 387qiicnce of the moist air acting as a conductor.Agreeably to some experimentswhich I made, a fog from hot water does not act as a conductor.Evidently, were a fog or a cloud a conductor, the air and moisture forminga thuudor cloud could not be electrihed, so as to give the discharges whichconstitute lightning.1884. It is well known that a tube will carry more lightning than arod, of which the sectional area should comprise the same quantity ofmetal. Yet, when the wire is too small to carry a charge outside, it isacted upon intestinally and may be explosively deflagrated.But while theexistence of a film of moisture upon the glass legs of an electrical machine,may paralyze its power, to a powerful galvanic battery moisture is wellknown to be essential.1885; If the poles of a powerful voltaic series, while highly charged,were severally to have a conducting communication with the conductorsof an electrical machine, it would discharge them so rapidly, that themost active working would not enable them to give a spark; yet at thepoles of the same series there might be charges accumulated which would,in effecting chemical decomposition, heating, deflagrating wire, or inducingmagnetism, be immensely superior to that created by a machine.1886. Farraday's reasoning and observations, founded on the idea thatthe only difference between galvanic and frictional electricity was thatbetween quantity and intensity, led him to take up the idea that a grainof water with an equivalent of zinc would evolve as much electricity assixteen millions of square feet of coated glass, charged by a powerful machineof fifty inches in diameter.I am surprised that Farraday did not considerhis premises erroneous, when he found them involving such startlingconclusions.1887. The source of this startling inference was, I think, as followsFarraday entertained the opinion, that the only differencebetween voltaicand frictional electricity was that of quantity and intensity. He went sofar as to intimate that this opinion would be entertained the more confidentlyas the electrician forming his decision should be better acquaintedwith the subject. I advanced what appeared to me unanswerable objectionsto this conclusion, but such as were not deemed by him worthy ofreply. Unduly confident in his postulate, Farraday first ascertained thegreatest effect which could be produced by a certain number of turns of apowerful machine, with a fifty inch plate, in causing a deviation of thegalvanometric needle, and then, comparing the quantity of zinc and waterrequired to produce the same effect through galvanic action, by a rule-ofthreestatement the result above mentioned was obtained. In my viewthe error arose from overlooking the fact that in the one case the wholedischarge was exercised in polarizing the ponderable matter, while inother only a portion of the discharge was thus employed, being only asecondary effect of the polarization of the circumambient medium.theOnly