Unpublished paper, 'On the supposed properties of the electric and magnetic fluids' by W F [William Ford] Stevenson

Description

Stevenson suggests that electric fluids, rather than 'promiscuously [disseminating] in our atmosphere' instead may be regarded as currents upon the planet, and concludes therefore that 'there is no ground whatever for attributing to the electric fluid positive and negative properties'. Stevenson considers the magnetic fluid as obeying the same law as the electric fluid, that is, moving in a current, which when aided, and not interrupted, will always be found positive, or having a north pole, at that end of the conductor or magnet where the fluid is escaping; and negative, or with a southern polarity, at the opposite extremity. He presents several experiments to illustrate his claims. Includes two figures in the text relating to Stevenson's experiments.

Annotations in pencil from Samuel Hunter Christie throughout. Followed by two letters, dated 7 April 1844 and 24 April 1844, the first of which is accompanied by a figure illustrating one of the experiments from Stevenson's paper. Marked on front as 'Archives 14 November 1844 S H C [Samuel Hunter Christie]'.

Subject: Physics / Electromagnetism

Received 12 April 1844.

Written by Stevenson in Geneva.

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 5 of Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London [later Proceedings of the Royal Society] as 'On the supposed properties of the electric and magnetic fluids'.

Reference number

AP/27/11

Earliest possible date

1844

Physical description

Ink on paper

Page extent

16 pages

Format

Manuscript