731. But two cases also are conceivable, in accordance wherewith this polarity of the vein admits of being divided. It subsists either quite alone between the two walls, as surface-polarity or electricity; or it subsists between the mediate point of the earth and the walls, constituting centroperipheric polarity or magnetism.
732. The product of the surface polarity are the Inflammables, of the radial polarity the metals.
733. Since no more metals and Inflammables originate at the present day, although magnetism and electricity are in continual operation; a third influence moreover must have been in constant activity. Now this cannot be thought of as any other thanheat. The metals must thus have originated while the earth was still in a glowing state, and when thus also magnetism and electricity could operate more powerfully towards effecting a reduction of the mass. By heat the mass in the veins was probably converted into gas, through which its separation by means of magnetism and electricity into ore and transition earth could more easily take place. The metals are thus sublimations, which were first deposited, when the earths or rather the mountain-stock began to cool. Thus also zeolithic crystals were deposited in the upper stores of mines. Metals are thus the children of heat, of magnetism and electricity; the heat renders the mass in a fit state for being separated in the next place by the polar forces.
734. Metal is carbon completely reduced, which contains nothing more of the other elements in itself, namely, neither hydrogen nor oxygen. It is consequently the Basic of the earth-element without material admixture, and thus is earth with the properties of its prototype, of fire or of gravity, of light and of heat.
735. In accordance with this interpretation metal can be produced by no other process than the centro-peripheric. Its occurrence in fissures of the earth that are mostly perpendicular likewise proves this.
736. In the deeply situated veins, therefore, the more identical or purer formations of ore must occur; while,on the contrary, in those situated higher up or exposed to the day, i. e. in closer proximity to the water, air and light, the more different or compound formations of ore must be produced.
737. The four classes of ores occupy a position in the veins tolerably accordant with these relations; an additional proof that they have originated in the vein and not been floated into it by the action of water.
738. The production of ore which occurs in theupperparts of the veins, furnishes us with the saline ores; for here the water, air and earth are principally active. In the upper depths are found most frequently the oxygenized metals, or as they are called mineral spars, as spathic-iron, malachite, calamine, lead-spar, pyromorphite, &c. Finally, the metallic or ore-spars actually pass over into salts, and by the horn-silver ores into the vitriols. They are for the most part crystallized.
739. The salt-formation of the ores has always decreased in proportion to the light having less access to it, and hence in greater depths, or in wholly mountainous masses. There the ore has not been deposited as a light-difference, but only as a Terrestrial, just as the earths, especially the calcareous earth, have obtained the same. It has not attained to a complete evolution of the polar body so as to constitute an acid, but the two principles have only emerged opposite to each other. They are oxydized ores, consequently those among the ores, that represent the character of earths, namely, the ochres. They are frequently uncrystallized.
740. So far the appearance of these ores is thoroughly earthy and devoid for the most part of metallic lustre; finally, the genesis of the ore turns upon the side of the identity, the principle of gravity having secured itself wholly in the depths, previous to the adverse accession of water and light. In such situations nothing more than heat and the centro-peripheric polarity of the vein-wall operates. The Metallic recedes wholly from the salt and from the earth. The oxygen disappears, but in itsplace comes sulphur, and the sulphuretted ores originate, e. g. the bi-sulphurets of iron, blendes, glance-ores.
741. Lastly, every combination or influence of the other elements and mineral-classes vanishes; acids, oxygen and sulphur are no longer generated in the perfectly dark depths, and the ore stands there in its entire identity, homogeneous, resplendent and heavy as the sterling metal. The same results from sublimation. The heavier metals remain below, the lighter ones and the sulphur ascend.
742. As the orders of earth are placed in the veins, so also are the different metals themselves; for the cause of genesis is alike in both.
743. The earth-like metals, as iron, manganese, &c. which occur constantly oxydized, are usually found upon the surface of the planet; the hydroid or water-like, as lead, tin, lie usually deeper; the aeroid or air-like, as arsenic, zinc, exhibit pretty nearly the same relations as the sulphur metals; lastly, the pyroid or fire-like, e. g. the noble metals such as gold and silver occur frequently in great depths and not unfrequently in granite; the two preceding metals generally occur in gneiss, but the first even in younger or more recently formed rocks.
744. As a certain regularity prevails in the arrangements of ores and of metals in the veins, so also does this hold good in respect to their distribution over the planet.
745. The more the polar earths are separated and deposited in the broad valleys exposed to light, by so much the more in quantity and of greater purity is the ore produced in its own valleys of darkness. The first effect, however, happens through the power of the sun; the more powerful therefore its influence, although indirect, so much the greater in quantity and purity is ore produced in the depths. The greatest quantity of ore and that of the noblest kind was inevitably generated beneath the equator. There also more lime as well as more salt are probably found upon the surface of the water; towards the north the oxydized metals, or the whole series of iron-metals, were produced. In the Temperate Zones we find more lead, zinc, bismuth and arsenic.
746. Thus the theory itself of ores furnishes us with a proof, such as the theory of the earth that has been hitherto entertained could not afford, that the equator forsooth has since the formation of the metals not been displaced. The metals formed themselves cotemporaneously with the gneiss, and have thus begun to form prior to the existence of the organic world. It is therefore a vague opinion, devoid also of foundation, that since the earth has been inhabited by animals, even by the higher or hair-clothed vertebrata, its axis has been changed.
747. No earthly phenomenon speaks so clearly and loudly against the mechanical theories in the natural sciences as ore. Not only has the whole planet been included in the ore, but also the whole of science, the whole of philosophy.
748. The first transition of the Earthy into the metallic character is indicated by iron. Iron ranks next to earth, especially to the argillaceous earth, is everywhere associated with it and is most generally distributed, being mixed with almost every earth and even all organic bodies, to their very elements.
749. The whole series of metals has butoneroot. What the primary earth is for the metamorphosis of earths, that is iron for the metals: it is their silicious earth.
750. The iron as being the first transition from the Earthy into the Metallic has the highest grade of fusion, and all metals which approximate to this, belong to the retinue of iron. This grade may be set down as 20,000F.
751. As iron is the root of all metals, so every division or group of ore has a principal metal, which occurs in more considerable quantity than the rest and characterizes the division. Among the saline ores, copper underthe form of malachite is the principal metal. Its fusing point is 6000F. Among the sulphurous ores,leadis the chief metal; it has with its neighbours the lowest grade of fusion, which may be set down in round numbers as 600F. Among the volatile, arsenic is the principal metal.
752. Among the standard metals, silver is the principal metal; it has with its affinities a fusing point, which ranges midway between that of iron and lead, being probably about 5000F.
753. There are four grades of fusion of the metals, which are removed from each other by very wide intervals, between which no metal is situated. Quicksilver is fluid at the temperature of the air and becomes volatile like arsenic. Moreover the artificial metals are associated with the alkalies and acids. Lead, with its congeners, melts at 500F.; silver with gold and copper at 5000; iron, platinum and such like at 20,000.
754. There are four metallic characters, which are shown to be peculiar in all their relations, in their affinities for oxygen, acid, and sulphur, in respect to specific gravity, fusibility, extensibility, in their electric relation, in mode of fracture, in occurrence, age, and geographical distribution, &c.
c. POISON.
755. It is a remarkable fact that the principal metal of the elemental metals, obtains mostly by oxydation or acidification poisonous properties, while the proper earth-metal, iron, acts beneficially upon the animal organization. Among the water-metals lead becomes poisonous by acidification; among the fire-metals mercury. Among the air-metals arsenic ranks highest, becoming poisonous by mere oxydation. Among the earth-metals, only one among the salt-metals is poisonous, and that is copper.
756. The metals thus appear to become poisonous, when they enter into or put on the character of salt, or of water.
757. The above are also those very metals, whichunite most readily with the others, to form alloys, amalgams or metallic compounds. Copper is very readily alloyed; lead almost always contains silver; mercury is susceptible of amalgamation; arsenic metallizes the others almost like sulphur.
758. The air-metals appear to have lost for the most part the metallic character; arsenic therefore destroys also magnetism.
759. The essence of metallic poison thus appears to reside in the endeavour on the part of the metals to suppress the metallic character and convert themselves into the formless elements. The metallic poison is the direct opponent of the metals themselves, and through this, of everything that has form, and thus of the Organic also.
d. MAGNETISM.
760. Two actions are necessarily manifested in iron, one clearing or dividing in so far as it is earth, and one to be identifying, in so far as it is metal. Iron is the fluctuation between oxydation and reduction, between light and gravity, and this conflict of the two latter isMagnetism. Magnetism is the spiritual function of the metals.
761. Magnetism belongs essentially to the metals only. What is not metal, is magnetic only according to idea or signification; it may be therefore aptly said, that such a body hath no magnetism, and that what has it, were metallic.
762. Magnetism is the direct property only of iron; this alone is the hybrid or heterogynous metal.
763. Magnetism appertains only to the other metals in as far as they are positions of iron; and is the more powerful, the nearer they stand in relation to iron. All metals are magnetic in idea, whether magnetism be manifested in them or not.
764. All metals have originated through magnetism, through the radial polarity, or the conflict of light and gravity. Magnetism is the action betwixt light and darkness, periphery and centre. Magnetism as being a metalgenerating action tends towards the centre of darkness of gravity. What in the earths and salts is the duplex tendency of crystallization, is in the metals the identifying magnetism, as an everlasting operation of attraction.
765. Magnetism is still, however, not identical with gravity. Gravity is the centre abstractedly from the periphery; but magnetism is the centre only in relation to the periphery or light.
766. Polarity belongs to the essence as well as the genesis of magnetism; the metal subsists only through a constant resistance against the universal process of oxydation, against the developmental process of the earth-principles, which the metal is always striving to conceal. The metal is altogether the most mysterious essence of the planet. This resistance to the disclosure of the Innermost of the earth is magnetism. Where magnetism has wholly attained this concealment, it renders the metal perfectly free and disappears, because it has become completely embodied. In the noble metals it has attained what it is still seeking in iron.
767. Magnetism is a linear action with two different extremities, like the primary radius. By one extremity magnetism runs towards the identical centre, by the other towards the partite, electrical periphery, towards the oxydized earths. One extremity will reduce, the other oxydize; one will become metal, the other earth. This is the difference between north and south pole, the former centre, the latter periphery.
768. There is no peculiar magnetic fluid, any more than there is a matter of light, heat and electricity. In magnetism the spirit only of the earth appears, as in light the spirit of heaven.
769. Magnetism is a constant process of excitation. This process of excitement is the process of imparting and of propagation. Magnetism has not been given, but excited. It breathes life into the iron bar, whereby the latter awakes, and that is magnetism.
770. Every action, which induces differences in a lineof iron, renders it therefore magnetic; thus electricity, unequal calefaction and a blow, whereby it is thrown into a state of vibration. An iron bar planted perpendicularly becomes magnetic, because it is then a radius to the earth. From the same reason it becomes magnetic, if placed in the magnetic meridian.
e. TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM.
771. If all metals are in idea magnetic; so must the metallic veins, as products of magnetism, be magnetic lines. Every vein has a north and a south pole.
772. As every vein is a magnetic line or magnetic needle upon a large scale; so must two veins abutting against each other represent likewise a magnetic tension. A mountain of ores is a net of numerous magnets interlacing each other. As one vein is related to the other, so must one metalliferous mountain be related to the other; and thus two mountains of this character stand in magnetic polarity with each other. The whole earth is surrounded by a magnetic net.
773. As every metal, every vein, every rock is in miniature a magnet, so must the earth be a magnet upon a large scale. There is aTerrestrial magnetism.
774. This magnetism belongs only to the earth only in so far as it possesses a metallic quality, for magnetism is only the spirit of the metals, not of the other terrestrial bodies, as the earths, Inflammables, and salts.
775. Magnetism is no general character of the earth, still less of the whole solar system, except in so far as the metallic principle lies at the basis of every thing earthy. Magnetism does not operate outwardly over the earth.
776. The determinants of terrestrial magnetism are themetallic veins, or the metallic beds in the crust of the earth.
777. Terrestrial magnetism has not been produced or determined by a magnetic nucleus; since a metal in the middle of the earth is a contradiction. All determinations of terrestrial magnetism depend upon the nature, character, distribution, number and direction of the metallic veins or beds.
778. Thus the direction of the magnetic axis of the earth, its mutability, the declination of the magnetic meridian, the inclination or dip of the needle, in short every phenomenon without distinction that concerns magnetism, must be derived from the nature of the metallic veins. Another momentum does not indeed exist for magnetism.
779. Terrestrial magnetism can only be based upon the polarity of metallic veins, and this upon the ores they contain. It must therefore accommodate itself to the distribution of the chief masses of metals, especially of the idiomagnetic metal. Now it has been ascertained, that the noble metals are accumulated about the equator, such as gold, silver, copper, which may be regarded as non-magnetic. In the northern temperate zones, the mountains contain for the most part metals that are non-magnetic and semi-noble, as lead, zinc, antimony, which are usually combined as ores with sulphur. Iron, on the contrary, being the only magnetic metal, (a fact which is also determined chiefly by the magnetic needle in terrestrial magnetism) is accumulated in greater quantity towards the north-pole and becomes always rarer in occurrence towards the equator. The southern hemisphere of the earth, is indeed less known in this respect; but, that towards the south-pole iron reincreases in quantity, is rendered evident by the magnetic needle when conveyed beyond the equator, inclining to the south-pole. If the cause of the inclination upon the northern hemisphere be sought for in the presence of iron, the same must be done in regard to the southern. The arrangement of the metallic groups from north-to south-pole is thus; iron, lead, silver, lead, iron.
780. Iron has been deposited at both poles and this in accordance with the genesis of metals, for iron is a half reduced metal, and must consequently be subjected to the demi-action only of light. At or beneath theequator the Ferrogeneous is wholly reduced, and becomes noble.
781. There is obviously, however, less iron at the south-than the north-pole, because the greatest part of the planet is there covered with water, and thus in general with less earth less metal also is to be found. From this alone it may be explained why the magnetic needle conveyed beyond the equator still remains horizontal and first inclines about the tenth degree of southern latitude towards the south-pole.
782. The north-pole is thus more energetic than the south-pole, so that the two poles must be also inversely related to each other. It is only from this antagonism of the two poles of the earth that we comprehend, why upon the southern hemisphere the south-pole of the needle dips towards the earth, and why the needle does not turn completely round. For if there was an equal quantity of iron in both hemispheres of the earth, the southern must have the same magnetic pole, and thus attract the north-pole of the needle; and under the equator the needle must have actually no direction. The cause of the direction and dip of the needle rests thus in the antagonism of the two poles of the earth, and this again in the unequal masses of iron.
783. The action of terrestrial magnetism does not reside in the iron formation alone, but in its antagonism to the reduced ores. The terrestrial magnetism is a tension between iron and silver. The lead imparts the poles.
784. As the earth is a globe, so are the two masses of iron situated nearer to its axis than the masses of silver and lead. If therefore the latter exert also any influence upon the direction of the magnetic needle, yet nevertheless the poles of magnetism must coincide nearly with the poles of the earth's axis, because the exciters of magnetism operate in this direction.
785. The magnetic meridian runs indeed in general from pole to pole, but as it is not the earth's axis, which determines the magnetism, but the metallic masses, sothe direction of the meridian deviates from the earth's axis in accordance with these masses.
786. The magnetic needle can therefore assume a different direction on every part of the earth, according as its relative position is varied between two principal masses of metals, and even as is indicated by the movement of the compass with the change of geographical longitudes, it is removed from one metallic mass, approaches another, and by this becomes more powerfully attracted. Upon the whole, however, the direction must tend toward the poles. Such are the phenomena ofdeclinationof the magnetic needle; and we can now comprehend why this is present.
787. But there must be also spots upon the earth, where the needle points straight to the north, probably, when it is between two metallic masses, or stands at a certain angle to them. These are thelines without declination, of which there are many as is well known, but which have not as yet been reduced to any law. Nor can they ever be so, because we shall never become acquainted with the metallic beds.
788. As the solid land, so far as it projects out of the water, forms a horse-shoe figure, of which the two Americas represent one leg, Europe with Asia and Africa the other leg, the sea being interposed between them; so must the lines without declination fall principally in the ocean, between the earth's crura. Moreover as both these crura of the earth are unequal in size, so must the one influence the needle more than the other, and in this respect also there can be therefore no regularity in the lines without declination. Thus everything co-operates, to the effect of rendering the direction of the magnetic needle unequal; such as the distribution of metalliferous mountains, of masses of iron, of the earth's hemispheres, of the earth's crura, and inversely the earth has probably obtained this horse-shoe form through magnetism. The cavities of the earth probably do not fall in there, because the ground, namely the mountains, is supported by metallic plates. Onthis account the earth probably maintains an oblique position in her course. In accordance with this the earth's axis had first changed, when the metals were generated. According to this also, the sea had rushed in first, when the metallic veins were present. Lastly, in accordance with this, the metals would be generated, when the whole earth was still covered, and the veins filled with water. Unto such conclusions the philosophy of nature can alone conduct us. The cause of a horse-shoe magnet acting more powerfully than any other shaped instrument, resides probably in the form of the earth's crura.
789. The magnetic meridian varies, however, not only according to places, but times also. This is explicable from the mutation of metals under the poles, as well as under the equator and in the temperate zones. Processes of oxydation and reduction are always occurring, the more too if the water recedes and tracts of land become dry. To this, culture, the clearing of woods, the draining of swamps and probably mining operations themselves conduce.
790. It must besides be clear to every one, who has learnt to look upon nature as a whole, that the numerous metallic masses of metal upon the earth are not indifferent to the genesis of metal, that they are not foreign to iron; but that they stand invariably in one relation to it, which can only be magnetic; for therein only are they metals.
791. Magnetism is an infinity of tensions spread over the whole earth, of which the tension towards the axis is but the principal, not the sole, tension. The expression hereof is the net of metallic veins.
792. Every magnetic line consists of an endless number of shifting poles; for every magnetic line can be but the metatype of terrestrial magnetism.