Page:On the various forces of nature and their relations to each other.djvu/142

138 has fallen a little, which seems to imply that so much electricity is lost; but it is not lost: it is here in this brass; and I can take it away and carry it about, not because it has any substance of its own, but by some strange property which we have not before met with as belonging to any other force. Let us see whether we have it here or not. [The Lecturer brought the charged cylinder to a jet from which gas was issuing; the spark was seen to pass from the cylinder to the jet, but the gas did not light.] Ah! the gas did not light, but you saw the spark; there is, perhaps, some draught in the room which blew the gas on one side, or else it would light. We will try this experiment afterwards. You see from the spark that I can transfer the power from the machine to this cylinder, and then carry it away and give it to some other body. You know very well, as a matter of experiment, that we can transfer the power of heat from one thing to another; for if I put my hand near the fire it becomes hot. I can shew you this by placing before us this ball, which has just been brought red-hot from the fire. If I press