The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-30 00:00:00

ROYAL INSTITUTION.

Yesterday afternoon Professor Faraday com-
menced his usual Christmas course of lectures, ad-
dresses to a juvenile auditory, at the Royal
tution. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales
attended, and occupied a chair immediately in
front of the lecture table. The subject of the pre-
sent course is static electricity, and Professor Fara-
day, who, it is gratifying to observe, displays as
much vigour and animation as in years gone by,
commenced his subject by repeating the declaration
he made several years ago at the meeting of the
British Association at Swansea, that of the nature
of electricity he knows noshing, and that the
longer he lives the more convinced he becomes of
his ignorance of the nature of that force. Of its
facts and of the laws that govern its operation he
said he had indeed attained considerable knowledge,
and some of that knowledge he hoped to be
able to impart to his young audience. His object
in the first instance was to show how readily, and
from what a variety of bodies, electric force can be
excited, for which purpose he employed a glass rod,
a stick of shell-lac, and a piece of gutta percha, by
the friction of which light bodies of different kinds
were alike attracted, and the gold leaves of the
electrometer were diverged. He then called upon
his audience to consider the wonderful effect pro-
duced by the friction of those substances, which by
that action were converted from apparently inert
bodies into active powers, wilich attracted other
bodies and emitted light. Professor Faraday laid
particular stress on the met, that during the excite-
ment of electricity by friction, the rubber becomes
equally electrical with the substance that is rubbed
and he exemplified it by holding a strip of flannel
by each end, and rubbing backwards and forwards
on the brass stage at the top of the electrometer,
and then placine, the flannel on the top of a
second electrometer, when the gold leaves of both
instruments became equally divergent. Having
shown that electricity may be excittd:^by the posi-
tion of varieties of bodies different in their me-
chanical structure, Professor Faraday proceeded to
exemplify that the chemical composition of eleo-
tries may also be essentially different. For this
purpose gutty peroba and gun cotton were selected
as opposite instances. Gutta percha abounds in
carbon, of which abundant proof was given by its
combustion in oxygen gas, when volumes of soot
completely blackened the inside of the jar
that contained the gas. Gun cotton especially, in
its preparation as collodion, is eminently
electrical, and a film of that substance,ilter
being merely passed through the fingers, caused
the gold leaves of the electrometer to diverge.
It was then applied to the flame of a spirit lamp,
to show that it is as explosive as gunpowder, (aid
abounds in nitrogen. Professor Faraday exhibited
and burnt some pieces of gun cotton paper, which
had been sent to him by Professor Schoubein, the
inventor of gun cotton, seven years ago. Several
illustrations were of the excitement of electricity
that is constantly taking place without our notice
by the ordinary actions of life ; such, for instance,
as the combing the hair when it is dry, and rub-
bing the feet on the carpet. The latter _effect was
shown by touching the top of the_, ereCtrometer,
whilst the professor rubbed his feet on the mat.
The rubbing of paper with india-rubber also gene-
rates electricity abundantly, and this was illustrated
by placing a sheet of foolscap paper, after having
been rubbed on an insulated stand, near the gas-
burner, and on suddenly removing the paper a
spark was emitted which set fire to the gas. The
accumulation of electricity by electrical machines
was next shown, first by one of the globe machines
used by the earliest electricians, which was excited
by a ribbon held in the hand, and afterwards by the
powerful cylinder and plate machines of the insti-
tution. Professor Faraday impressed on his audi-
ence that these larger effects were exactly the same
in kind, and depended on the same principle as
the excitement of electricity by the rubbing a stick
of sealing-wax on a piece of cloth, and that his
audience might at their own homes, and without any
special apparatus, exemplify the leading facts of
electricity. He constructed for this purpose several
simple pieces of apparatus, ono of which was formed
by a joking a rod of sealing wax into a bung to
make a foundation, and balancing a tobacco-pipe
on the top, which simple arrangement afforded a de-
cided indication of the presence of an excited elec-
tric, by the turning round of the pipe as the elec.
trio was brought near one end. Another structure
consisted of an inverted wine-glass, on the stand of
which was placed a watch-glass, to form a centre ;
and a piece of flat glass having been laid upcalfe
long lath was delicately b danced on the cent re and
turned round readily on the approach of an excited
stick of sealing-wax, thus forming a good electro-
meter. At the conclusibu of the lecture the young
prince shook hands with Professor Faraday, who
did not, as on a former occasion, address the leo-
ture to his royal highness.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, TUESDAY MORNING.
VICEREGAL COURT.

Lord Carlisle purposes returning to Ireland to-
morrow after a long absence in England. His Ex-
cellency will embark at Holyhead for Kingstown
upon the arrival of the day express boat. In a few
more days, therefore, public curiosity will probably
be gratified by the official announcement of the new
legal changes consequent upon the death of Mr.
Justice Jackson.

MR. JUSTICE MOORE.
The Freeman's Journal states that Mr. Justice
Moore, junior of the Queen's Bench, has been for
some time lying dangerously ill at his country scat,
near Dublin. It is added that he is in so precarious
a condition as to render the prospect of his ulti-
mate recovery extremely distant. The other papers
confirm this statement.
ELECTIONEERING.
In anticipation of the probable vacancy in the
representation of the borough of Ennis, created by
the elevation of the Attorney-General to the judi-
cial bench, a squadron of aspirants have been
already named as candidates for the coveted seat.
The aspiranti include Captain Stockpoole, Mr.
Hughes, Q. C., Mr. John Bell, Sir Thomas Reding-
ton, and Mr. M'Donough, Q.C. The latter is a
Peolite, but would be a supporter of the Palmer•
aton Government. All the others are Liberals.

THE GREAT SLANDER CASE.
There are at length symptoms of the approaching
finale to the case of " Strevens v. Campion." Yes-
terday counsel for the defendant spoke to evidence.
Not having concluded his address when the Court
rose, the learned gentleman will resume this morn-
ing, and will probably conclude this evening ; so
that upon the whole it is likely the trial will not
run into the ensuing Hilary term.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE
PROMOTION OF SOCIAL SCIENCE.

The. inaugural address delivered by Lord Brougham,
President ; Lord John Russell, 'M.P., Sir John
Pakington, Baronet, M.P., Lord Stanley, M.P.,
and Sir Benjamin Brodie, Baronet, F.R.S., toge-
ther with the sermon by the Rev. Sydney
Turner. Revised by the authors and published
by authority. John W; Parker and Son, West
Strand.

At the time the association was formed we no-
ticed its various meetings, and adverted more or
less fully to those addresses reported by the press.
We need not therefore enlarge again upon their
contents. We are glad to see ihtm, however, in an
authorised and revised form, and cannot doubt that
they will be acceptable to many readers. The ser-
mon we had not seen before ; it is very appropHate
_
to the subject, calling attention to 46 Responsi-
bility in means and aims." Lord Brougham's was
the inaugural address, and by universal consent
could not have been assigned with wore propriety
to any one than to the veteran Educationist and Law
Reformer. Lord John Russell's address was on
Jurisprudence and the Amendment of the Law;
he being president of the section which had charge
of those topics. He acquitted himself so well on a
professional subject, that one is almost tempted to
believe he would not have acquitted himself so
badly in command of the Channel Fleet, an office,
from which according to the well-known remark of
the
.Whig. wit he would not shrink. Sir John
Lord. John, and Lord Stanley took charge
Pakington took Education, as Jurisprudence fell to
of the
Public Health, leaving Sir Benjamin Brodie the
non-medical. topic of Social Economy- We Pair;
the press, and will, we presume, soon
Per-
ceive that the transactions of the association are
make their ap-
pearance.

ATTICIIPTED ASSASSINATION.--The Opinions of Tunis
has the following from Milan :—" As Count Brembatis
of Bergamo, was on the 19th coming out of a house
situated in the quarter of San Damiano, at Miles, be
suddenly received a blow from behind on hie hat, by
which it was forced down over his eyes ; he then got a
stab in the neck with a stiletto, and a blow with a loaded
bludgeon on his side, which brought on a discharge of
blood from the mouth. The assassin fled without
a•tE mpting to rifle the pockets of his victim, whose cries
soon brought people to his assistance. Upon examina•
tion it was found that the stiletto had inflicted but a
slight wound, owing to the protection of the heavy
winter garments worn by the Count. The police have
arrested some persons on suspicion.
THE 3,100 HE TEA. FRAIIDS.—It is stated in WA of the
local papers that Belfast is not yet done with the disre-
putable revelations in connexion with John J. Moore's
ingenious frauds on the Customs. It is deemed prudent
for the present to withhola particulars, but there is a
strong rumour that a very patient investigation has
enabled the Customs' officials to trace tea on which no
duty has been paid to several other houses in the town,
and the loss to persons is expected to be very great.