In the earlier stage of the investigation, it had been suggested by Mr. Knowles, and several other persons, that by rendering the copper innoxious, it was probable sea-weeds might adhere to the sheets; but this objection he answered by stating, that negative electricity could not be supposed favourable to animal and vegetable life; and as it occasioned the deposition of magnesia, a substance exceedingly noxious to land vegetables, upon the copper surface, he entertained no difficulty upon that subject: in this, however, he was fatally mistaken. He found, after a trial of several weeks, that the metallic surface became coated with carbonate of lime and magnesia, and that, under such circumstances, weeds adhered to the coatings, and marine insects collected upon them; but at the same time he observed, that when the proportion of cast iron, or zinc, was below 1/150, the electrical power of the copper being less negative, no such deposition occurred; and that although the surface had undergone a slight degree of solution, it remained perfectly clean: a fact which he considered of great importance, as it pointed out the limits of protection; and makes the application of a very small quantity of the oxidable metal more advantageous, in fact, than that of a larger one.
During the course of these experiments, many singular facts occurred to him, which tended to confirm his views of electro-chemical action. Amongst the various details which remained for his investigation, the relations between the surface of the protector, and that of the copper sheathing, under the different circumstances of temperature, saltness of the sea, and rapidity of the ship's motion, presented themselves as objects of great importance; and an opportunity occurred which enabled him to pursue them by actual observation and experiment.
In the month of June 1824, a steam-vessel, H.M. ship the Comet, was, at the express request of the King of Denmark, ordered to proceed to Heligoland, for the purpose of fixing with precision, by means of numerous chronometers, the longitude of that island, in order to connect the Danish with the British survey; and the Board of Longitude having recommended that the voyage should be extended as far as the Naze of Norway, for the purpose of ascertaining also the longitude of that important point, Sir H. Davy thought that this vessel would afford him the means of performing his desired experiments upon protected and unprotected copper sheets, when under the influence of rapid motion; and upon application to the Board of Admiralty, he obtained the entire disposal of the vessel after the required observations had been completed, as long as the season would allow her going to sea; and, that every facility might be afforded him, a skilful carpenter was put on board, to prepare whatever might be necessary for the prosecution of the enquiry.
For the following account of his adventures upon this occasion I am indebted to Dr. Tiarks, who, in his character of astronomical observer, superintended the expedition.
In the first instance, Davy directed to be constructed a number of oblong, rectangular, thin plates of copper, the surface of which should exceed that of a square foot: in the centre of these plates was fastened a slip of copper, by means of which other pieces of copper, which had small plates of iron of various dimensions attached to them, were fixed to the plate, by merely sliding them into the groove thus prepared for their reception. The plates were all carefully weighed previously to the experiment, and the pieces of iron were considered as representing the various proportions of iron and copper surfaces within whose limits Sir H. Davy had been led, by former experiments, to expect that the best proportion would be found. These plates were afterwards slipped into wooden frames, and nailed to the ship's side, over a piece of thick canvass, for the purpose of intercepting every possible communication between them and the copper sheathing.
It was proposed that, after each trip, these plates should be accurately weighed, in order to ascertain the loss which they severally might sustain from the corrosive action of the sea, while thus protected by different proportions of iron surface; and, to ensure every possible accuracy, he carried with him the excellent balance, constructed by Ramsden, which is in possession of the Royal Society.
Sir H. Davy, accompanied by Lord Clifton, embarked at Greenwich on the 30th of June, and the vessel arrived at Heligoland on the 2nd of July. Here, as they remained not more than one day, the plates were not examined, although the Master expressed strong doubts as to their safety. The vessel then proceeded, by order of Sir Humphry, to Norway, a country which he was, for several reasons, very desirous of visiting, especially for the sake of determining a doubtful point in ornithology, upon which he subsequently corresponded with Professor Rheinhard, of Copenhagen.
The difference of longitude, also, between that country and Greenwich, not having been accurately ascertained, offered perhaps an additional reason for thus deviating from a course which, it must be confessed, was at variance with the original plan of the expedition.
After a severe gale of wind on the 4th of July, the vessel arrived, on the day following, at Rleve, near Mandal, and afterwards proceeded to this latter place, at which Davy remained for several days, during which interval the vessel made a tour to the Naze, and took in coal.
On the arrival of the vessel in the port, the plates were immediately examined; but, to the great disappointment of Sir Humphry, it was discovered that every one of the protectors had been washed away, and that most of the plates had sustained considerable injury.