THE

ELECTRICAL RESEARCHES

OF THE HONOURABLE

HENRY CAVENDISH, F.R.S.

Cambridge: PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY, M.A.

AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

LONDON: CAMBRIDGE WAREHOUSE, 17, PATEI STER ROW.

CAMBRIDGE: DEIGHTON, BELL, AND CO.

LEIPZIG: F. A. BROCKHAUS.

(All Rights reserved.]

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR.

PAGES

Biographical data—Lord Charles Cavendish's experiments —Henry

Cavendish lived with his father during his electrical researches-

His laboratory in Great Marlborough Street—His apparatus---His

attendant-Committee of the Royal Society on lightning con.

ductors-Cavendish's researches on the electric current-Papers

on the Torpedo by Walsh, Hunter, &c.—Experiment on the

formation of nitric acid before the Royal Society-Cavendish's

artificial Torpedo

xxvii to xxxviii

xxxix

xl

xli

xliii

xlv

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.

.

Account of Cavendish's Writings on Electricity.

The two papers in the Philosophical Transactions .

The manuscripts—Sir W. Snow Harris' account of them

List of the manuscripts

Order of the manuscripts determined

Why Cavendish did not publish them

State of electrical science-Lord Mahon's experiments-Estimate of

Cavendish by Dr Thomas Young

Coulomb's researches

Cavendish's method

Comparison of charges

Proof of the law of force

Experiments on coated plates- spreading of electricity

Specific inductive capacity .

Plates of air

“Whether the charge of a coated plate bears the same proportion

to that of a simple conductor whether the electrification is strong

or weak”

Effect of temperature

Effect of floor, walls, and ceiling of room

Experiments on resistance .

Reference to these experiments in the paper on the Torpedo

Method of the experiments .

Determination of the power of the velocity to which the resistance is

proportional” ,

xlvi

xlix

xlix

1

li

lii

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liv

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liv

lv

lvi

Ivi

lvi

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lix