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[[start page]] [[top margin]]228 Dec 27th 1845[[/top margin]] Polished piece of steel with calcined magnesia, dipped it into water, it came out [[?enfilmed]]; _ dipped the same into alcohol, it now came out covered with the liquid. _ Dipped the same into spirits of turpentine, after having removed the alcohol, it was again unfilmed. Heated the steel so that it hissed when it was plunged into the water, but still the liquid did not adhere. That the steel has an attraction for the water, is shown by the fact that when the article was plunged into the water, the liquid was drawn up, as in the figures, [[indented to allow for small figure to the left]] but this attraction was less than that of the liquid for itself, as is proved by the steel's coming out of the liquid uncovered.[[/end indent]] Also when the steel was pushed into the water, a depression on each side was observed, as is shown in the figure. This [[indented to allow for small figure to the left]] effect is due to the attraction of the water for itself, being greater than that of the water for the steel. [[/end indent]] When a piece of mica was split, so as to exhibit a perfectly clean surface, and plunged into water, no adhesion was observed. When the same was plunged into alcohol, it came out infilmed. [[small text, right justified]]For facts in capillarity see Peschel's Physics p 54[[/end right justified]] The steel, after being placed for a few minutes in sulphuric acid, which slightly acted on its surface, was infilmed with water. [[end page]] [[start page]] [[top margin]]Dec 27th 1845 Faradays new condition of matter 229[[/top margin]] I received a note a few days ago from Dr Gray of Cambridge, informing me that Dr Faraday had found a connection between electricity and light. The account was from a notice of the discovery in an English paper from Sir James South and gave no details. I have since received a more extended account of the experiments from Professor Pierce, in an extract of a letter from a young gentleman who was present at the reading of Dr Faraday's papers. The experiment consist in general of passing a polarized ray through a tube containing a liquid or solid, and then bring near the tube, a magnet of great power, the polarized beam rotates around its axis, so that if an [[circled]]analizer[[/circled]] be so placed at the other end of the plate, that the light is shut off. When the magnet is approached to the side of the tube, the light became visible on account of the depolarization of the ray. The same effect is also produced by using a helix surrounding the tube. Different substances exhibit the rotatory tendancy of the beam in different degrees, and that which exhibits it most is the glass made by Mr Faraday and described in the Phil Transactions. I have long sought some action of this kind, and have planned a number of experiments on the subject, which like many other plans, I have not realized. [[line drawn across width of page]] [[dashed line drawn from inner binding of the book, appears to indicate note on the previous page re: Perschel's Physics]] The same force which elevates a cylinder of water in a fine tube, will prevent it from evaporating. Water in capillary tubes does not evaporate when [[circled]]hung[[/circled]] in the sun for a long time [[circled]]?[[/circled]] Experiments on this point _ [[end page]]
