bservations in the prehistory of
electromagnetism are described in a letter written by G. W. SCHILLING
from London to the Berlin Academy on July 8, 1769, published as "Sur les
phenomenes de l'Anguleil Tremblante" [_Nouveaux Memoires de l'Academie
Royale des Sciences et Belles-Lettres_, 1770 (Berlin, 1772), pp. 68-74],
translated to French from the original German. The letter recounts a
multitude of experiments with various electric eels. The two
observations of electromagnetic interest are that a piece of iron held
by the hand in the eel's tank could be felt quivering even when the fish
was stationary several inches away, and a compass needle showed a
deflection, both in the water near the fish, and outside the tank, also
with the fish stationary.

[3] ABRAHAM BENNET, _Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of
London_ (1787), p. 26.

[4] Op. cit. (footnote 1), p. 403.

[5] _Philosophical Magazine_ (1800), vol. 7, pp. 289-311. [For a
facsimile reprint, see _Galvani-Volta_ (Bern Dibner's Burndy Library
Publication No. 7), Norwalk, Connecticut, 1952.]

[6] MICHAEL FARADAY, _Experimental Researches in Electricity_, vol. 1
(London, 1839), paragraph 739, dated January 1834.

[7] Ibid., sec. 741.

[8] JAMES CUMMING, "On the Application of Magnetism as a Measure of
Electricity," _Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society_
(1821), vol. 1, pp. 282-286. [Also published in _Philosophical Magazine_
(1822), vol. 60, pp. 253-257.]

[9] H. C. OERSTED, _Experimenta Circa Effectum Conflictus Electrici in
Acum Magneticam_ (Copenhagen, July 21, 1820).

[10] Full details of Oersted's work and publications are in _Oersted and
the Discovery of Electromagnetism_ (Bern Dibner's Burndy Library
Publication No. 18), Norwalk, Connecticut, 1961. The original Latin
version and first English translation are reproduced in _Isis_ (1928),
vol. 34, pp. 435-444.

[11] A. M. AMPERE, _Annales de Chimie et de Physique_ (1820), vol. 15,
p. 67. The word "galvanometer" had been used much earlier by BISCHOF,
"On Galvanism and its Medical Applications," _The Medical and Physical
Journal_ (1802), vol 7, p. 529, for a form of goldleaf electroscope
shown here in figure 2, but this use of the word does not seem to have
been adopted by others.

[12] Op. cit. (footnote 6), paragraph 283, dated January 1833. A similar
attitude was expressed in the same year by CHRISTIE, _Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society of London_ (1833), vo