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From the first dawn of the science of polarization, the action of metals upon light has presented a troublesome anomaly. Malus at first announced that they produced no effect whatever ; but by employing a different method of observation, I found that the light reflected by metallic surfaces was so far modified as to produce, when transmitted through thin crystallized plates, the complementary colours of polarized light. From a second series of expe­riments made previous to mine, Malus came to the conclusion, that the diffe­rence between transparent and metallic bodies consisted in this : that the former refract all the light which they polarize in one plane, and reflect all the light which they polarize in another; while metallic bodies reflect what they polarize in both planes. Having discovered the property of transparent bodies to polarize light by successive reflexions at angles at which a single reflexion produced no perceptible effect, I resolved to apply this method of examination to metals; and on the 7th of February 1815, when I first made the experiment, I discovered the curious property possessed by silver and gold of dividing a polarized ray into complementary colours by successive reflexions. As this subject promised to open a wide field of inquiry, I prepared for the ardent prosecution of it with all the metallic bodies which could be procured; but the pressure of professional business prevented me for about a month from doing any thing very effectual.

XXI. On the phenomena and laws of elliptic polarization, as exhibited in the action of metals upon light