The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-22 00:00:00

ROYAL

Tbs ttlsally mein meetings at the Royal
ties eemmeseed es Friday last, m which measles Professor
Fasday, as usual, delivered the open* lemur*. The
title .f the letter* was " Os Some Pointe of Magnetic Phi-
losophy ;" but the subject on which he particularly dwelt
was the Raters of force is general, magnetism and electri-
city sere*, principally to illustrate the actions of force.
Professor Faraday stated in the esmaseacoment hie oolitic-
tits that we are on the verge of important discoveries ear
the seism of form, and that the present awhile
rear tam it are vogue and usistisfaetory. The statement
that Om MOMS of forms are inversely as the squares
of le distasee, Deaver so idea of the sonnet
'lll gill& limo at a distance as* as este mbar;
111 goo mosinsleties of bete ermaected with the
Saint sew esquires serious cossideratios, with a view to
gissediss them into a rational theory that will amount is-
Mitglhiy Is, the action of one body on another wheel
illenningly talk* separated. The duality of WOO app.-
mt Is ea electricity was particularly coml.
Omsk as Peeks= Faraday observed that the peculiar rein-
Hui subsist's, between the dual and apparently oppmite
lonsi of the moth and south poles of &magnet and between
positive and negative electricity are the most likely mesas of
discovering the real nature of farce in general. He expressed
the opinion that all forces have a similar dual property,
and that eves gravitation will be ultimately determined to
posers it. He then proceeded to exhibit the relations of
the

dual forces to each ether, as perceived in the
phenomena of electricity and magnetism, for the pur-
pose of showing that one of those forees (sweet
he called into action without the other, and that est
are always equal. Having charged an insulated metal boll
with electricity, he suspended it, without touching, With
en insulated hollow tin cylinder, end when so suspended In
tested the electricity of b th. The electricity of the beds
was positive, whilst the induced electricity inside the eye(
dor was negative, and on the outside there was an isis it
electricity whatever. Also, when the outside of the eyliaelar
was charged the inside was free. It was then shown 111114
the poles of magnets may be so arranged as to previa
magnetic action even immediately within the sphere Of
their usual attractions. Thus, when the north poles of feet
powerful large magnets are placed together at right aisles
so as to form a small deep square cell, in the ma*
of that eell there is no linguini, attraction whatever. Tim
enure effect wee shown to be produced with arrangements
• electromagnets. In one experiment a hollow cyliadiew
Orson iron was filled with iron filings, and than introdneal
late a helix of insulated copper wire, round which an elec-
tile current from a powerful voltaic battery circulated, and
though the edge of the cylinder became strongly magnetic,
the interior was so free from magnetic influence, that the
Ina filings fell oat when the helix was held perpendicu-
larly. Professor Faraday said that from the consideration
or
them end other phenomena eonnectei with the dual forces
la magnetism and is electricity, he felt oonvinced that the
anima of the one depends en the action of the other, and
that tbefean neither exist separately nor can one be brought
to set without the other. That the nlatioa of the north-

sees and scatheless of a magnet to each other does not take
plea. through the substance of the metal, had been 'Misfia
tastily established, t►erefore, it can silly take place
externally, and, consequently, in curved lines be-
tween the opposite pules. Professor Faraday quoted
the opinion of Newton to the effect that the attraction
of gravitation, though exerted between all bodies, however
distant, and even through a vacuum, must be the conse-
quence

of the action of some intermediate invisible agent.
Of the correctness of that opinion Professor Faraday said he
became more convinced the more he studied the subject of
throe. It leased, indeed, absurd to suppose that gravity
Ws exists rely where there are other bodies tout upon, for
that would be to assume • creation of force, and supposing
gm sun to exist without the earth, or other planetary
bodies around it, the force of gravitation would still be in-
halant to the son, and be extended throughout ell space
just as it is known to be through the solar system. The oat-
Adoration of the nature of force, be repeated, must ere loos
lead to important discoveries, and be had no doubt that in
to or twenty years time there would be an entirely new
light thrown on that important subject.