The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-01 00:00:00

Observer.
THE INVERTED IMAGE ON THE RETINA.
_However contradictory to itself this fact may appear, it
yet in reality requires no explanation ; inasmuch as
the un
inverted image not only of the single object, of
upon
field of Nision and of our own person
inverted the whole
must o.pp.lar right, for the two ideas, viz., of erectness
and interson are only relative, and signify nothing, un-
less, as being tlcriosed to each other. Besides, it must
ba remembered :bat the idea in the mind is derived
front sensation alone ; the mind, in perceiving a visible .
object, is occupied merely' with forming an idea from the
visual sensation, and does oot compare the image pro-
duced on the retina by the object with the object i tself.
But, it will be said, the mind may inst.itute such a com-
parion by the aid of the sense of touch. in the image
of a man upon the retina, for example, the Lead will be
flownwards, and the feet upwards ; whereas, on inuching
i,•,..:
ae, we find the head upwards, and the feet downvords.
:Lot apparent contradiction between the two sensations
may- tie very simply explained, if we keep :n mind that
1 Lbei idce or upwards is in point ef fact of the saline itm.
1 port as i Ott of s4-wards, while that of downwards is
Li,, s.„„„ ~, eArtli-wards. If there is in the mind the
1 intentam of to:lchir.g the head of the person, which in
i the image upon ,:vin retina is towards the sky. and pro-
idea, the mind will naturally de-
/duces a eurresponij'oK
Itiomine the organ 01` touch. 1. e., the hand, to move
I itself towards the sky, i• e., upwards, and it will
land it wall accordingly niet4, the head of the person.
I This applies equgily the other w' >' viz., to the ido4 of
d
ownwradi or towards the eartif.--Franz on the Eye.
VICTI.:.—W
Ihile the
ANOTHER CLERICAL
t
cler4,y within the city proper are advot,,ving with ale
th, ir inialit the right. of consignee, in oppojiton to
rte h the
ave
laws of the land, tneir brethren in the Canon.,;
I
, been practically vindicating the nivjesty of the civil law
~ in opposition to the sacred and malt nable rights of con-
/ science, On Tuesday List, Mr, Hugh Murray, a law-
i maker, residing in the Canmigate, was incatccratett en
1 ;he eoal of that barony tor the non-payment of the sum
i of 4-s. 9d. claimed from him for Ministers' stipend ; aid
i the, e Ile still 1,e,:, 'he prison..r of Dr. Gilchrist and Mr.
1 Clark, the iticuiti:•ents uf that paris. Mr. Murray was
summoned to appeal before the Btihlies of Canongate on
tli, 7th of October last, when he compeared, and pled
unwillingness to pay the I.oPost, on the ground of the
principle which it involved, is ,it violation of his religious
convictions, at the same titre state: g, even although
he had not felt such scruples, he cont,: not
thave paid the
amount from want of ability. Mark the ender mercies
of the agents of these reverend incarcerators: Neither
his conscientious scruples nor his poverty hay,: pro-
' tected him from their merciless grasp. Mr. Muri.:v '
has a wife and four young children entirely dependent
upon him for support, with two other children who are
. in part maintained by him, while his weekly earnings
have not yielded him, on an average, more than Bs. or
9s. per week. Such are his circumstances, which are
well known to his neighbours in the Canongate, where
be has lived for a considerable period, and maintained a
fair character for honest industry and general good con-
duct ; and yet, notwithstanding all this, he has
been torn from his business and his family, and now
lies a prisoner within the walls of a jail, at the in-
stance of men who profess to be ministers of a re-
. ligion of peace and love! The bare statement of
the case renders comment unnecessary. The cruelty
of such proceedings is equalled only by the in-
fatuation which has counselled the step. We mach
mistake the character of the act;
era and l
of the sense of the
community regarding it, if a gen
l' eitizens does not immediately take place, demanding,
I in a voice loud and deep, the instant liberation of this
victim to clerical rapacity, accomp- Med by an expres-
sion of extreme indignation at this outrage committed
upon the feelings of our common humanity, and on the
• rights of conscience. The infatuation of the present
act is not lessened by the circumstance that the father
of the prisoner was committed to the same goal some
eight or nine years ago for non-payment of the same
impost, where he lay about seven weeks, but was even-
tually liberated from prison without payment either of
the principal or costs. The old man is still alive, whose
i heart must be cheered by the thought, that the son is
i following so consistent an example. May the spirit
I which has animated the Chelmsford captive be largely
1 shjrcd by his brother prisoner in this city.—Scottish
' Pi/oi.
The number of patents taken out in Paris in
183-2 amounted to 51,758 ; in 1839 the number reached
70,491.
• _____