It may as well be confessed at the outset that although my production has cost me colnsiderable thought, it does not claim to advance any original ideas. Its claims to attention are based solely upon its mnerits as a chronicle. There seems to be among the nodern race of electricians not a few who regard that species of counter-electromotive force whichl is the subject of this paper, as being the only species in the genus. While of course this view is erroneous, it is easily accounted for by the

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... notorious fact that the American Electrician as a class has little time to study. The fact, however, while it is indeed as I have termed it, 9 notorious," is still to be deplored; for it is certain that were electricians fullv informed not only of the researches which took place before their own, together with t-he results of the said researches, whetlher these results took the form of success or failure, there wonLld be mnuch less valuable time wasted in snupposed original researchl; there would be far fewer valueless inventions produced; and there would be a mucnh smaller aimount of subsequent vexations an-d useless litigation. While counter-electromotive force, generally speaking, is a genus; the counter-electromotive force of self-induction is a species, and wlhile an illustration of this statement will no doubt to most of us be an operation something in the nature of carrying coals to Neweastle, or water to the Mlississippi valley, I cannot believe that it will be a waste of time, since doubtless we have manly mnembers wlho have not fully considered the subject. Conisider for a moment a definition of electromotive force.