The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-10 00:00:00

IVIARCH 10, 1846.

ROYAL INSTITUTION•

The announcement of a lecture by Professor Faraday,
" On the Magnetic Condition of Matter," drew a raost
crowded and fashionable audience to this Institution last
evening. Amongst the company present we observed
the Marquis of Douro, Sir Edward Codrington, Sir
James South, Professors Brande, Grove, Ansted, Dr.
Mantell, Messrs. Pepys, Hunt, &c. We have on a
former occasion, taken occasion to enunciate the general
facts of this most recent and most important discovery
of Dr. Faraciay ; and in the present report we shall
therefore confine ourselves to a brief outline of the
beauti'tilly conceived and brilliantly performed experi-
ments by which the Professor illustrated and exhibited
the discovery. The instrument used was a very large
hOrse-shoe eleciro-magnet—the power derived from the
beautiful battery of Mr. Grove. The two poles were
moreover fitted with two short bars of soft iron, termi-
nating at one end in cones, by which means the poles
could be separated or made to approach, at the plea-
sure of the operator. The Professor first proved, that
bodies termed magnetic, in the ordinary acceptation
of the term, such as iron, mickel, cobalt, will, if freely
suspended over the poles of the magnet, arrange
themselves in en axpial position, or in the lines of
magnetic force, and that moreover, if brought within
the sphere of action of either pole, they will be
attracted. Many other bodies, which hitherto
have not been regarded as magnetic, and
which, when subjected to the influence of ordinary static
magnets appear to be unaffected, when brought into the
sphere of action of this powerful magnet will imme-
diately take up this axial position. This fact was
proved by a small bar of peroxide of iron, and a
little roll of paper. Now, another great class of bodies
which have hitherto been deemed to be unaffected by
the magnetic force, are found, in direct opposition to the
former, to arrange thermAlves iaspa equitorial direction
to the poles, or at right angles to the magnetic
force, and are also repelled by either pole of the magnet.
These Dr. Faraday has called diamagnetics ; and here
he took occasion to explain that the term diamagnetic
was first given to glass and other bodies, because they ap-
peared to allow the magnetic force to traverse or pass
through them, and that the term had still been retained
in connexion with their property of being repelled from
either pole, and of arranging themselves at Tight angles
to the lines of magnetic force. To illustrate this dia-
magnetic property, the professor first suspended a piece
of heavy glass between the poles of the magnet,
so as to swing freely. The instant that contact with
the battery was made, the glass was repelled from
the pole to which it was nearest, and arranged itself in
an equitorial direction. A bar of bismuth, a small
stick of phosphorus, and water, were also used as ex•
periments, and all under similar circumstances arranged
themselves in an equatorial direction. To exhibit more
clearly the repulsion from either pole of such bodies, a
very beautiful and delicate experiment was had recourse
to. To the end of a small rod, delicately balanced
upon a steel point, a small bar of bismuth was attached,
brought between the poles of the magnet and repulsed
from either pole, as soon as the contact with the battery
was made. The law in this respect is that all such bo-
dies are repelled from the stronger to the weaker places of
action. This diamagnetic property is possessed by an
immense variety of bodies, amongst which Dr. Faraday
named such things as an apple, a bird, wood, leaves,
frogs, biscuits, and even the human subject, were it
possible to suspend him. A piece of wood and a slice '
of apple were experimented on, and in both cases the 1
attempt was perfectly successful. Another curious ex-
periment was exhibited. If to the end of a piece of
thread a small cube of copper, a diamagnetic, be at-
tached, it will, by the torsion of the string, spin round
rapidly. But if it be placed between the poles
of the magnet, it will, immediately upon con-
nexion being made with the battery, stop. To whatever
class, whether to the magnetic or diamagnetic, a body
belongs, its compounds also belong, and still further,
even its salts belong. Thus, iron is magnetic; a solu-
tion of sulphate of iron is also magnetic. And here an-
other curious fact is elicited, namely, that by the action
of magnetism upon solutions of the rarer metals, such
as cerium, magnesium, &c., we can ascertain what is
their magnetic condition. And further, by thus mag-
netising solutions, such for example as sulphate of iron,
we get a liquid, transparent magnet, into which we can
look.

The last question to which the Professor adverted was,
as to the effect of magnetism upon the air ; examined
and tried in every way, rarified, condensed, or in its
natural state, air appears to be utterly unaffected. The
same law holds good with all vapours, but the
moment they are reduced to a liquid or solid form
they become either magnetic or diamagnetic. From this
it would appear that air possessed neither property; but
even this assertion cannot be confidently made; for, ac-
cording to the medium in which it is suspended, air be-
comes magnetif, or diamagnetic. To illustrate this, the
following curious experiment was shown ; a tube of
air was first suspended in water between the poles
of the battery. Although the water is dia-
magnetic, the air became magnetic ; but when
suspended in a solution of sulphate of iron,
of itself magnetic, it became unmagnetic. From all
these experiments, Professor Faraday concluded that
air held a sort of zero point, from which on
the one side branched the magnetics, on the other
the diamagnetics, and that magnetism influenced,
in one or other of these ways, all bodies. He con-
cluded
believed
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that
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this
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perty of diamagnetism, inherent in so many bodies—
the sea, lakes, rivers, rocks, &c.—was not without its
importance in the regulation of the system of the uni-
verse, although as yet we are ignorant of the part it
plays.

PRICE SD.

BREDPORT ELECTION.

This election has terminated in the return of Mr. Cochrane
by a majority of one, the numbers being for—
Cochrane

Romilly
We are informed that Mr. Cochrane's majority would have
amounted to two, but that tho last " independent elector,"
whose vote was tendered on his behalf, refused to take the
bribery oath. Perjury is a thing not to be wasted.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
HOUSE OF LORDS, March 9.
The House sat to-day to hear writs of error. The Peers
present were the Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham, Lord
Campbell, and the Bishop of Oxford.
BRANDAO V. BARNETT.
Their Lordships were occupied the whole morning with
the further arguments in this part-heard case.

VICE- CHANCELLOR'S COURT, Mardi 9.
(Before the VICE-CHANCELLOR of ENGLAND.)
SMITH V. SHERWOOD.
The arguments in this part-heard case were resumed, and
occupied his Honour the Vice- Chancellor of England the
whole day.
(Before Vice-Chancellor KNIGHT BRUCE.)
WADDING
the construction of a will, the
parties being the heirs at law against the legal trustees.
His Hosoun decided against the heir-at-law, and that the
estate be vested in the legal trustees.
Mr. Smith was heard for the heir-at-law, and Mr. Holt for
the trustees.

COURT OF REVIE W, March 9.
Sir J. L. Knight Bruce sat this morning in Bankruptcy,
but there was nothing of interest before the Court.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY, March 9.
(Before Mr. Commissioner SHEPHERD,)

IN RE :row=END.
This insolvent, who carried 'on btisinesi in Kirby-street,
Hatton-garden, as a jeweller, came up fur his final order.
He was opposed on the ground that he had been appointed
by the Court of Chancery as guardian to his children, and
that he had applied the amount received by him ferVeir
benefit to his own use, and also had not rendered any account
in his schedule.

The insolvent said he was prepared to swear that all the
moneys he had received under the order of the Court had been
faithfully applied. The fact was, his wife had been living
apart with her children in different parts of the country, the
property being hers. On her death an order of Court was
made, constituting him guardian, and he had to expend
nearly all the money he first received in clothing them, for
some one in the country had taken away their clothes, even to
the hats and shoes. It cost 171. 10s. for carriage, and 41. 10s.
for clothes.

The Solicitor for the opposing creditor insisted that under
the 24th section 7 and 8 Vict., an insolvent was bound to
render an account/of all trust moneys, and that he was bound
to pay all debts due before the time he took the trust.
The Learned COAEHLSSIONER considered that in the absence
of a positive order to pay the back debts, a guardian was not
bound to do so out of trust moneys like the present, and as
the insolvent had distinctly sworn he had fairly disbursed
the money which had come to his hands, he was entitled to
his final order. It appeared that those debts were contracted
before the insolvent had any power over his children or the
property. He considered it was net necessary to give au ac-
count in insolvency.
The final order was granted.
NOVEL APPLICATION.--,IN RE WOLFE.
This insolvent, who was a clothes dealer, had been re-
manded sine die, in consequence of his very unsatisfactory
explanation of the loss of a large sum of money out of his
pocket.
Mr. T. B. HUGHES now applied to the Learned Commis-
sioner to e a day for the insolvent to come up again.
The inso s in a very infirm state, and seventy-four
years of A medical gentleman was present to prove
that imprisonment was dangerous.
The Learned COMMISSIONER said he did not see hew he
could name a day after the exhibition on the last examina-
tion. If me up, lie (the Learned Commissioner) could
not m al order on such statements.
Mr. s said Mr. Buchanan, on behalf of the cre-
ditors, was willing to withdraw opposition ; and be hoped
his Honour would name a day to ease the mind of the in-
solvent.

The Learned COMMISSIONER at first named three months,
but at the urgent request of counsel, at length reduced the
time to one month, frcm this date. The insolvent had been
two months in prison.