The Sun.
London, England, 1834-12-27 00:00:00

SADLER'S WELLS.

The title of the pantomime was Jack Sprat and his Wife,
two persons who are celebrated in nursery love for their re-
markable-diversity of t-ste. We will not forestal the curiosity
,of our readers, who, of course, will all go to Sadler's Wells, by
describing the plot of the pantomime, the more especially as
the poem upon which it is fo‘..nded may be purchased at Mr.
" marble and toy warehouse" in the Seven Dials, for
the " small charge of one penny." It may be sufficient at
kr,Aer.t. to state, that in all the requisites of a pantomime—.
natnt.':ll-, good tricks, clev,?r rban,es, and laughable incidents—.
juelz 151,-frat and his Wife is inferior to none that has been
produced oflate. In the course of the entertainment, a beau-
tifully painted
nanoratua was introduced, which was loudly ap-
plauded by the a.7diDileF• The pantomime succeeded per-
fectly, and we hope finZt. ;t will amply remunerate the lesse.

COMMANDER ROSS'S PAPER RELATIVE TO
THE NORTH MAGNET CIRCLE.

The paper in the Philosophical Transactions, which
'Jo/Mender Ross communicated at the meeting of the
Royal Society, is brief but important in its contents. It
Sets out by adverting to the labours of Dr. Farraday, and
" his splendid and convincing proofs of the complete identity
of magnetism with electricity," and the necessity, from so
much remaining to be accomplished relative to terrestrial
magnetism, of having f‘ accurate observations, with good
instruments, as near the mc(rnetic pole as possible, and in
various directions from them.' The paper then alludes to
• the numerous and accurate observatiozs made to the north-
west of the magnetic pole by Captain Sabl2e, to the south-
west by Captain Franklin, and to the south-
east and north-
east by Captain Parry, Mr. Fisher, and Captain il;rster,
as furnishing " materials that have enabled British philo-
sophers to point with a wonderful degree of precision to the
seat of magnetic concentricity."
Commander Ross says that in the late expedition " a
smu_ll,dippit', needle, by Jones, belonging to the Admiralty,
togetcer with a number of other instruments, was offered
for deb. use." This' had been made with great care, and
found to axswer every purpose for which it was intended
by the party that travelled towards the North Pole with
Captain Parry.
This was the instrument with which the observations on
the dip of the magnetic needle, obtained during the expedi-
tion, were made. The " mean of the readings of each end
of the needle, in each of its eight positions," are recorded in
the table which accompanies the paper; and this is done
because " scarcely any two results show any very near ac-
cordance, and it sonic instances their differences amount to
several degree-,." " Each of these recorded observations is
the mean of sin to ten readings (as registered) of each end
'of the needle in its several positions, and the means there
vmpioyed in the re-union of its poles is that of Dr. Hamel."
We have the following sketches of what Commander
Itos% observed on hi,: expedition to the magnetic pole
w e commenced cur journey in the middle of May, 1831,
`but tiw.hnfavourable nature of the season prevented my
obtaining. auy observations that could be of assistance to us
until we mach''' the :,107,,s of the Western Ocean. on the
28th of the inontie Three good observations were made
under the most favourtC!bl.2. circumstances ; and the magnetic
dip having been izlcrettheci to 89 deg. 11 min., and the ho-
rizontal needle pointing to N., 57 dfg. W., led us to ex-
pect that at the distance of about 35 miles in that direction
vwe should attain the object of our wishes."

-4‘ Having gained- the calculated position on the Ist of
without having ben able, from the unfavourable state
of the n- tither during that interval, to obtain any more ob-
servations, availed myself of the snow huts of a recently
deserted Esqm:maux Nillage as observatories, and encamped
the party at a s.„,fficient distance to ensure their being be-
yond the possibilit; of producing any influence on the
needles, &c.
:st of all directed to ascertain if
My attention was h:
magnetic
the needle that was used
possible the direction of the'riiagnetic meridian. For the
purpose I suspended horizontal.
only for the determination of the tensity of the magnetic
force, first by three or four delicate fib: es of floss s;Bc. It
l'emained, however, exactly in the position; in which it vc:!.s
placed. A single fibre of the floss silk was next tried, and
lastly a single fibre of flax. All these failing to demon-
strate the smallest amount of horizontal attraction, a second
:needle was treated in a similar manner, and in ail these
a:tempts I was equally successful. The top of the instru-
ment being so constructed as to admit of a half circle of
tension, this was next tried ; but the needle was moved
from its position in nearly the same amount as the one de-
scribed by the point of suspension, showing that the smallest
amount of tension w:ls sufficient to overcome the directive
energy of the needle."
Commander Ross admits that there is a difference
amounting to several minutes in the different observations
made in the same direction of the needle ; yet, he con-
tinues, the resultant, mean dip in each of the three direc-
tions in which they were obtained, placed them as near to
-.the magnetic pole as with their limited means they were
to determine. And although it cannot but be a rough
approximation, yet it is hardly possible to be more than a
,ny miles from the exact position. It was at any rate quite
impossible for them to know, when the horizontal had
Cease d to act, in what direction to proceed for the purpose
of approaching it more nearly ; for in order to determine
its pesiti:'n the co-operation of several observers, placed at
sonic disteice in various directions of its positions, would be
necessary.
A table of observations on the dip of the magnetic :Needle
accompanies the paper. These observations commenced
on the 16th of February, '&11, and continued until April
of the following year, and were made with the poles
1 the needle direct and the poles also reversed, and each
'-uas again presented with the axis direct and reversed, and
''-their divisions again with the'sun east and west,