Which 1843 experiment demonstrated electrostatic induction in a conducting container?

The 1843 experiment that demonstrated electrostatic induction in a conducting container was Faraday's ice pail experiment.

Michael Faraday placed a charged metal ball inside an insulated pewter pail without letting it touch the container. A charge detector connected to the pail registered an induced charge, showing that charge inside a conductor redistributes across its surfaces. When the ball touched the pail, its charge moved to the container; when the ball was removed, it was discharged.

The experiment established that a charge enclosed by a conductor induces an equal and opposite charge on the conductor's inner surface, while the outer surface carries the corresponding net charge. It also illustrated electrostatic shielding, the principle later associated with the Faraday cage.

A common mix-up is to confuse this experiment with the Cavendish experiment, which investigated the inverse-square law of electrostatic force, or with the Faraday cage, which is a related application rather than the name of the 1843 experiment itself.