Electricity.

Date:
[1829]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Electricity. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    I \ ELECTRICITY II college consisted of the three ecclesiastical elec¬ tors, Mentz, Treves, and Cologne, and the six secular, Bohemia, the palatinate of the Rhine, Saxony, Brandenburg, Bavaria, and Hanover. The dominions of the last elector palatine of the Rhine, having devolved in December 1777 to the elector of Bavaria, the electoral college was again reduced to eight members, until the peace of Luneville ; when the three ecclesiastical elec¬ torates were secularised, the archbishop of Ratis- bon introduced as a new elector arch-chancellor, and the duke of Wirtemberg, the landgrave of Hesse Cassel, the margrave of Baden, and the grand duke of Tuscany, as duke of Saltzburg, raised to the electoral dignity. This increased the number of electors to ten, viz. the elector arch-chancellor, Bohemia, Bavaria, Saxony, Brandenburg, Hanover, Wirtemberg, Hesse Cas¬ sel, Baden, and Saltzburg. This arrangement was finally destroyed, as we have seen (article Diet), in the year 1806, when the German empire was dissolved. Bavaria and Wirtemberg, on joining the Confederation of the Rhine, under the protection of the French empire, assumed the royal dignity; Hanover was in pos¬ session of the French ; Baden and Saltzburg took the titles of grand dukes; the elector arch¬ chancellor that of the prince primate of the Con¬ federacy of the Rhine : and the year following Saxony assumed the royal dignity; Hesse Cassel was annexed to the new kingdom of Westphalia; Bohemia as part of the dominions of Austria, and Brandenburg as part of those of Prussia, reverted to these two houses as independent monarchical states. And thus the title of elector, which for so long a series of years conferred a rank equal to that of the old kings of Europe, became finally extinct. The last electors of the German empire were, 1. Charles Theodore, baron Dahlberg, elector of Ratisbon, and arch chancellor, now prince pri¬ mate. 2. Frederick William III., king of Prussia, elector of Brandenburg. 3. George III., king of Great Britain, elector of Hanover. 4. Ferdinand Joseph, elector of Saltzburg, now duke of Saltzburg. 5. Frederick II., elector, now king of Wirtemberg. 6. Charles Frederick, elector, now grand duke of Baden. 7. William IX., elector of Hesse Cassel, driven from his dominions by the French. 8. Maximilian Jo¬ seph, elector, at present king of Bavaria. 9. Frederick Augustus IV., elector, at present king of Saxony; and, 10. Francis II., elector of Bohemia, afterwards emperor of Austria. The electors besides the power of electing an emperor, had a right to capitulate with the new head of the empire, to dictate the condi¬ tions on which he was to reign and to depose him if he broke those conditions. They actually deposed Adolphus of Nassau, in 1298, and Wen- ceslaus in 1401. They were sovereign and inde¬ pendent princes in their respective dominions, had the ‘ privilegium de non appellando illimi- tatum,’ that of making war, coming, and exer¬ cising every act of sovereignty. They formed a separate college in the diet of the empire, and had among themselves a particular covenant, or league, called the 4 Kur verein J They had pre¬ cedence of all the other princes of the empire,, even of cardinals, and ranked with kings. There was, however, a difference between the secular and ecclesiastical electors; none of the latter could be chosen emperor, and they were to be thirty years of age- before they could attain the electoral dignity, whilst the majority of the se¬ cular electors was fixed at eighteen years of age, and any of them might be placed at the head of the empire; indeed they might even vote in their own favor. The functions of the electors were exercised by deputies. The elector of Mentz was arch-chancellor in Germany; Treves,, in Gaul and the kingdom of Arles; Cologne, in Italy; Bohemia was arch-cupbearer; Bavaria, arch-sewer, or officer who serves out the feasts; Saxony, arch-marshal; Brandenburg, arch-cham- berlain; Hanover, arch-treasurer. During the vacancy of the imperial throne, the elector of Saxony used to be vicar of the empire in the north, and the elector of Bavaria of the southern circles. On the demise of an emperor of Ger¬ many, or a vacancy ensuing in the imperial throne, the electors wmre summoned by the arch¬ bishop of Mentz to meet (generally at Frank¬ fort) within three months. One month was or¬ dinarily allowed for their determination; if it was delayed longer they were, according to the imperial constitution, to be fed on bread and water until they had made a choice. Both their dress and functions are particularly described by Du Cange. ELECTRICITY. ELEC'TRE, n. s. Ele'ctric, adj. Ele'ctrical, Electrician, n. s. Electricity, Ele'ctrify, v. a. Ele'ctrise, v. a. Electro'meter,w. s. 1 Gr. icrpov; Latin, j electrum, amber, which, j having the quality when J warmed by friction of ' attracting bodies, gave to one species of attrac¬ tion the name of elec¬ tricity, and to the bodies that so attract the epithet electric; which also means produced by an electric body; and me¬ taphorically, rapid; powerful. Bacon uses electre for a metallic compound. An electrician is he who is skilled in electricity. To electrify, electrum amifio, to render electric, or apply elec¬ tricity, and to electrise, are used synonymously. Electrometer, an instrument for ascertaining the presence and portion of electricity in any giverr body. Change silver plate or vessel into the compound stuff, being a kind of silver electre, and turn the rest into coin. Bacon. If that attraction were not rather electrical than mag- netical, it was wondrous what Helmont delivereth concerning a glass, whei’ein the magistery of load¬ stone was prepared, which retained an attractive quality. Browne. By electrick bodies do I conceive not such only as take up light bodies, in which number the ancients only placed jet and amber ; but such as, conveniently placed, attract all bodies palpable. Id. An electrick body can by friction emit an exhalation so subtile, and yet so potent, as by its emission to cause no sensible diminution of the weight of the elec. LoyvjIpv ; 1 PMM - V V ' I : 1' Y U 0