1262.  The difference of 1.55 and 1.37 as the expression of the capacity for the induction of shell-lac seems considerable, but is in reality very admissible under the circumstances, for both are in error in contrary directions.  Thus in the last experiment the charge fell from 215 deg. to 204 deg. by the joint effects of dissipation and absorption (1192. 1250.), during the time which elapsed in the electrometer operations, between the applications of the carrier ball required to give those two results.  Nearly an equal time must have elapsed between the application of the carrier which gave the 204 deg. result, and the division of the charge between the two apparatus; and as the fall in force progressively decreases in amount (1192.), if in this case it be taken at 6 deg. only, it will reduce the whole transferable charge at the time of division to 198 deg. instead of 204 deg.; this diminishes the loss of the shell-lac charge to 80 deg. instead of 86 deg.; and then the expression of specific capacity for it is increased, and, instead of 1.37, is 1.47 times that of air.

1263.  Applying the same correction to the former experiment in which air was first charged, the result is of the contrary kind.  No shell-lac hemisphere was then in the apparatus, and therefore the loss would be principally from dissipation, and not from absorption:  hence it would be nearer to the degree of loss shown by the numbers 304 deg. and 297 deg., and being assumed as 6 deg. would reduce the divisible charge to 284 deg..  In that case the air would have lost 170 deg., and communicated only 113 deg. to the shell-lac; and the relative specific capacity of the latter would appear to be 1.50, which is very little indeed removed from 1.47, the expression given by the second experiment when corrected in the same way.

1264.  The shell-lac was then removed from app. i. and put into app. ii. and the experiments of division again made.  I give the results, because I think the importance of the point justifies and even requires them.

App. i.  Air.  App. ii.  Lac. 
        Balls 200 deg..

        . . . . 0 deg..
  286 deg. . . . .
  283 . . . . 
      Charge divided.
        . . . . 110
  109 . . . .
        . . . . 0.25 after discharge. 
Trace . . . . after discharge.

Here app. i. retained 109 deg., having lost 174 deg. in communicating 110 deg. to app. ii.; and the capacity of the air app. is to the lac app., therefore, as 1 to 1.58.  If the divided charge be corrected for an assumed loss of only 3 deg., being the amount of previous loss in the same time, it will make the capacity of the shell-lac app. 1.55 only.

1265.  Then app. ii. was charged, and the charge divided thus: 

App. i.  Air.  App. ii.  Lac,
    0 deg. . . . .
         . . . . 250 deg.
         . . . . 251
      Charge divided.
  146 . . . .
         . . . . 149
a little . . . . after discharge.
         . . . . a little after discharge.