395.  On fusing a little chloride of lead by a spirit lamp on a fragment of a Florence flask, and introducing two platina wires connected with the poles of the battery, there was instantly powerful action, the galvanometer was most violently affected, and the chloride rapidly decomposed.  On removing the lamp, the instant the chloride solidified all current and consequent effects ceased, though the platina wires remained inclosed in the chloride not more than the one-sixteenth of an inch from each other.  On renewing the heat, as soon as the fusion had proceeded far enough to allow liquid matter to connect the poles, the electrical current instantly passed.

396.  On fusing the chloride, with one wire introduced, and then touching the liquid with the other, the latter being cold, caused a little knob to concrete on its extremity, and no current passed; it was only when the wire became so hot as to be able to admit or allow of contact with the liquid matter, that conduction took place, and then it was very powerful.

397.  When chloride of silver and chlorate of potassa were experimented with, in a similar manner, exactly the same results occurred.

398.  Whenever the current passed in these cases, there was decomposition of the substances; but the electro-chemical part of this subject I purpose connecting with more general views in a future paper[A].

[A] In 1801, Sir H. Davy knew that “dry nitre, caustic potash, and soda are conductors of galvanism when rendered fluid by a high degree of heat,” (Journals of the Royal Institution, 1802, p. 53,) but was not aware of the general law which I have been engaged in developing.  It is remarkable, that eleven years after that, he should say, “There are no fluids known except such as contain water, which are capable of being made the medium of connexion between the metal or metals of the voltaic apparatus.”—­Elements of Chemical Philosophy, p. 169.

399.  Other substances, which could not be melted on glass, were fused by the lamp and blowpipe on platina connected with one pole of the battery, and then a wire, connected with the other, dipped into them.  In this way chloride of sodium, sulphate of soda, protoxide of lead, mixed carbonates of potash and soda, &c. &c., exhibited exactly the same phenomena as those already described:  whilst liquid, they conducted and were decomposed; whilst solid, though very hot, they insulated the battery current even when four troughs were used.

400.  Occasionally the substances were contained in small bent tubes of green glass, and when fused, the platina poles introduced, one on each side.  In such cases the same general results as those already described were procured; but a further advantage was obtained, namely, that whilst the substance was conducting and suffering decomposition, the final arrangement of the elements could be observed.  Thus, iodides of potassium and lead gave iodine at the positive pole, and potassium or lead at the negative pole.  Chlorides of lead and silver gave chlorine at the positive, and metals at the negative pole.  Nitre and chlorate; of potassa gave oxygen, &c., at the positive, and alkali, or even potassium, at the negative pole.