(2.) Atmospheres of vitreous, or of resinous, or of neutral electricity, surround all separate bodies, are attracted by them and permeate those which are called conductors, as metallic, aqueous, and carbonic substances; but will not permeate those which are called non-conductors, as air, glass, silk, resin, sulphur.
(3.) The particles of vitreous ether, strongly repel each other, but attract the particles of resinous ether and vice versa. When the two electric ethers unite, a chemical explosion occurs, in some respects like that of gun-powder, light and heat are liberated, and rend or fuse the bodies which they occupy.
(4.) Glass holds within it, in combination, much resinous electric ether, which constitutes a part of it, and which more forcibly attracts vitreous electric ether, from surrounding bodies which stand on it, mixed with a less proportion of resinous ether, like an atmosphere, but cannot unite with the resinous ether, which is combined with the glass. And resin, on the contrary, holds within it, in combination, much vitreous electric ether, which constitutes a part of it, and which more forcibly attracts resinous electric ether from surrounding bodies, which stand on it, mixed with a less proportion of vitreous ether, like an atmosphere, but cannot unite with the vitreous ether which is combined with the resin.
(5.) Hence the non-conductors of electricity are of two kinds, and opposite to each other; the one class of the vitreous, and the other of the resinous. But the most perfect conductor, such as metal, water and charcoal, having neither kind of electric ether, combined with them, though surrounded with both, suffer both kinds to pass through them easily.
(6.) Great accumulation or condensation of the separate electric ethers, attract each other so strongly that they will break a passage through non-conducting bodies. Hence trees and stone walls are rent by lightning.
(7.) When artificial or natural accumulations of these separate ethers are in a very small quantity or intensity, they pass slowly and with difficulty from one body to another, and require the best conductors for this purpose. Whence many of the phenomena of the Torpedo, the Gymnotus, and of Galvanism.
(8.) The electric ethers may be separately accumulated, by the contact of conductors with non-conductors—by vicinity of the two ethers—by heat—and by decomposition.
(9.) When these two ethers unite suddenly and with explosion, a liberation of light and heat takes place, as in all chemical explosions. Accordingly it is said that a smell is perceptible from electric sparks, and even a taste, which must be supposed to arise from new combinations or decompositions.”
The theory founded on the principles above stated is supposed, by those who adopt it, to solve many difficulties which can scarcely be accounted for on the theory of Franklin.
Dr. Gibbes also adopts a chemical theory of electricity. He supposes that oxygen gas is produced by the union of positive electricity with water; and hydrogen gas by the union of negative electricity with water: and that water, uniting in different proportions with the two electricities, is the ponderable part of all the elastic fluids. He asserts that by the positive electricity metals are oxydated, and blue vegetable colours reddened; and also that the acidifying effect of electric commotions in the atmosphere, on weak fermented liquors, is unquestionable.—On the other hand, according to this writer, by negative electricity the vegetable blue is restored, and the oxydated metal revived.