Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-06-06

with such a force as TO exceed the grayita
ting power of that satellite, but atrerward
coming within the sphere Of the earsi,'s {
traction, they fail down.
II we ad nit. however, that the oppost.
hc.nlspheres OF this earth move with differ
ent velocitles,a principle winch may be de
monstrated in the most rigid manner; ther
Mr.. Kings hypothesis will serve to accoun,
for the fail or stones in every quarter of the
globe.
The mountains Yesuvius and Etna are
well known TO project upwards red not
stones OF immense and d ffsrent sizes; as
ilkewise, to different heights according TO
the force with which they are thrown from
their volcanoes. But these stones, were
the morton of all the parts of the earth Uni.
form, would always fall back TO their res
pective volcanoes in the same manner as
stone or ball let fall from the top of
mast OF ship when sailing, falls at the
bottom of the mast.
but IT we suppose that red hot stones
(Which frequently happensl are projected
from Etna or Nesuvius at the period when
tnat hemisphere of the earth in which these
mountains are situated moves slowest-
then these stones being possessed of a less
centrifugal force than those parts of the
earth TO the west of Etna and Vesuvus, it
their highest altitude some point on the sur
lace OF the earth to the westward of Etna
or Vssuvius, must have come perpe i,cu.
larly below them, and therefore the, must
fail at greater or less distance iron, heir
respective mountains, according to the
height to which they have assembled. The
difference between the centrifugal force
which they possess at the moment of pro-
lection from the volcano, and the centri-
fugai force of those parts of the earth inn
mediately beneath them, when they have at
tanned their greatest altitude, may be so
great, as to cause them not only To make
one revolution of the earth, but several re
volutions before they fall. that is, they will
describe sort of spiral round the earth
continually approaching it; until they Ell
ther tall entire, or burst and explode in
pieces at distance from the ground, af-
ter getting impregnated with the dense
vapours OF the atmosphere.
The noise which they make resembliny
thunder when they explode, is natural Ell
fect arising from getting immersed in a
dense watery cloud. But wide dlstincti.
on Gas Cavallo justly observes) must be
made between this noise and common thun.
der and lightning, which are the effects of
electricity, discharged from the clouds
and which have nothing to do with the fall
OF stones. Many stones, however. have
been known to fall from the heavens with
out exhibiting either noise or any luminous
appearance. Such, for instance, was the
stone mentioned to have fallen in Yorkshire.
a very strong circumstance to prove that
meteors are stony substances proiect ed
from volcanoes on this earth is this, that
they are almost invariably the attendants
Q, earthquakes and the erup,Ious of
'esuVius ana Etna. The celebrated me.
teor OF the 18th OF August, 1883, is well
known to have been the atteudan, of one ot
the greatest earthquakes which ever scour-
ged Italy, and during the whole of this
month, according to Sir William Hamilton.
Doth Etna and Vesuvius were perpeeuaIlv
throwing up immense masses of hot mat
ter.
Indeed, 1t would be impossible other ways
10 account for any coincidence in time. be
tween the falling of stones and earthouakes.
ior III THESE stones did not proceed from the
bowels OF the earth, no reason coald be as
signed for their falling during the periods
OF earthquakes and volcanoc erunttons more
'han at any other time.
This fact, there fore, next to GeometricaI
demonstration, is one ofthe strongest proofs
which could be urged to prove that the op-
posite hemispheres of the earth. move
with different velocities in the same man.
ner as the opposite parts of wheel; for il
they moved with the same velocity as has
been hitherto supposed then every body
projected perpendiculariy upwards, whate-
yer altitude it might attain, would ALWAYS
fall to the very same point from whence il
was projected, and even if we supposed that
stones were thrown from volcanoes at an
angle of forty-five degrees with the hori-
zon, it is impossible TO conceive they could
reach even one hundred miles distant from
the place of ascension but as they rise al.
most always perpendicularly to the horizon,
unless it were for cause of this sort thew
never would proceed beyond the enyirons
Of the mountain.
From the opposite hemisphere of this
earth moving with different velocities, we
may, therefore, easily account for the phe.
nomena of falling stones, without having
recourse either to the Lanar or Heavenly
regions as the places of their nativity. And
it s certainly much more probable that the
volcanic rock which last year alarmed the
citizens Of New England, was child either
of Vesuvius, Etna, or Hecla, than that il
was generated in the Heavens or drooped
from the Moon.
In my next number | will demonstrate
that the curve which the points of the earth
describe, approaches nearer an elongated