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SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES,

ruptions at the links, was incapable of conducting the fluid from the bottom of the jar;and that instead of the whole quantity being transmitted from the bottom to the topof the chain, the greatest portion of the collected fluid escaped by one sudden effortfrom the upper edge of the lining to the lower extremity of the wire ; and thus nearlythe whole force of the fluid being discharged by explosion at one particular point ofthe lining, the reaction against the side of the jar caused the latter to be broken forthe same reason that jars frequently share the same fate by having the lower ball ofthe discharging-rod placed against their sides.

Jars were afterwards fitted up without any chain, having one continued wire fromthe ball on the top to the bottom of the jar, in hopes that, if the wire was sufficientlystout, the whole of the collected fluid would be transmitted in safety throughout itswhole length. Hence, the explosive effort from the lining to the wire being thus sup-posed to be annihilated, the jar would be preserved. It was not long, however, beforeI discovered my mistake ; for a jar, so fitted up, had not been charged and dischargedmore than five or six times before it was perforated by the fluid close to the upperedge of the foil. Some others were fitted up in the same manner, only using stouterwire from the ball to the bottom of the lining ; still impressed with the idea that, ifthe wire was sufficiently capacious, the fluid would be safely conducted to the dis-charging-rod without injury to the jar. Some of these jars stood the discharge fromhigh intensities extremely well, and perhaps much longer than if the wire had notbeen so stout ; nevertheless, as some were perforated in exactly the same manner asthose before described, it was evident that this mode of fitting them up was no realprotection, and that some other must be resorted to before intense charges could betransmitted through short circuits with safety to the jars.

The jars used in these experiments were of green glass, and broke most frequentlywhen several of them were used at the same time in the form of a battery. I gene-rally used six or eight at a time. I have, however, had the misfortune to fractureseveral of white flint glass, one of which exposed a coated surface of nearly threesquare feet. This jar stood very well at moderate charges, but was perforated by thefirst discharge of intense electrization. It would be needless to enumerate more ofthese disastrous circumstances, as they occur frequently, and in the hands of everyElectrician.

Now as so many jars had been broken exactly opposite the upper edge of the lin-ing, it would seem as if the collected fluid made the greatest effort to escape from thatparticular part; and, if it be admitted that the particles of the electric fluid are repul-sive of each other, it is only reasonable to suppose that such would be the case ; foralthough an equable dissemination may actually take place over every other part ofthe lining, yet the naked part of the jar above the lining not being charged, the fluidabout the edge of the foil, finding a less resistance upwards than in any other direc-