The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-01-12

/ Atthe same tine must warn the seade,
no 20 expect too mnch from my bows; they
are yet young men and when l give their
letters to the public. allowance must be made
FOR their youth and inexpericnce.
But Rosalie's harp invies me to the par
lo'r, and the reader will, dare say, by this
time; very willingly part with me. ~
TO THE EDITOR OF THE ENQUIRER.
SIR.
Having lately seen my name. and that
OF the President OF this college, in cnmrnu-
nication from Mr. Adrain relative to MIR.
Woods publication on the Theory of the
tides, deem it necessary to state how far
this communication correct as il rels es O
the President and myself. Mr.. Word wrote
to me, believe in consequence az lie ter
he had received. desiring fiat would exa-
mine Vince and De Ia Lande on the subject
OF his theory conceived thot Mr.. Wo Il
wishcdt1 know ifthese writer's had consit
cred ptint on the Earth's surface as de.
scribing an ep:cycloid and with a variable
velocity and whether they had made use of
this principle to account for the ebbng and
flowing OF The sea. The only edition of DE la
Lan'le t, which had access was that of Pa :
r's, 1854, in which believe there is not a
word on the subject the author only OBJ
serves that the quantity of matter in the
Moon can only be determined by the magni-
tndc OF the tides. and the mutation of the
Earth's axes; and that these are subject to
so many Irregularities, and so little known,
that they cannot be depended on. did not
consider Vncc's cursory remark that Gall
ilieo thought the tides were owing TO the TO
tatory motion of the Earth round her axis,
and her motion ronnd the sun, as directly
applicable to the subject and saw ma good
cause 70 conclude from this, that Gal,iieo
considered point on the Earth, surface
as describing cycloidal elongated curve,
with variable velocity it seems evident
thN Vince's subsequent explanation will
justly this construction, for he immediately
ADDS gu, the phenomena can. by no means,
De solved from these causes, as the former
motion could only make the Earth put on the
form OF an obate sph roid subject to no
change. and the latter could have no eff ct
upon the srriace.' Had Vince at all adve,. =.
ed to a cyc'cida! motion, he would have ne
ceSsa'Ily inferred variable velocity. So
far bishop Madison may have agreed with
me la opinion.
In MT. Abrams next quotation from la
Lande, the upper point, or that farthect from
the sun is represented as moving with the
sum OF the annual and diurnal motions. and
tne lower point with their difference: this
hnotion could not be that in a curve of the
common or the probate cpicycIoidal kind,
Sucn as that described by point on the
tIarth tor in the common cvclod, the low
CT point has no velocity; and in the probate
one the lower point moves On with the pro
lJechie velocity only; (see Olinthus GREGG
~ Astronomy page 1922 the compoUTiti
motion therefore designated by D. la Lande
Is no, OF that kind used by Mr. Wood in his
theory oil the tides. believe the same re-
marks apply to Mr.. Abrams quotations from
Lowthrop's abridgement of the Phil. Trans.
n concise history OF the cycloid is gwen in
Lemone's TraiIe eiementaire des mathe
mauques. under the art'cle Historic de.
n'athematiques pures, in which 1t is stated
mat Gaiiiieo invented the cy cloid bur did not
developers properties, some of which were
discovered by TWO of his scholars after his
death, and most of the others in the space If
abou! nifty years, Gallileo died i'm 1642t.e
yearin which Newton was born he was of
cour:e gnorant of Fluxions and the Binomi-
| al iheorem, without which very little pro
gress can be made in the investigation of
curve lines 1t does however appear that he
had some idea ct this composition of motions,
but not correct one There is a wide diff
terence between the mere suggestion of aN
'dea, and the carrying of it into effect II
would be absurd to call a man the author of
the Newtonian Philosophy because he had
suggested the cause of body's falling to the
Earth. 1t was easy to form the idea of y
man Heating III The air, or of his living under
water; but 1t was quite a different affair to
realize these speculations. We esteem him
only who pursues and improves the discove.
iIes he has made and whodeduces impor
'ant consequences from simple and obvious
principles; We rank Gaiileo amongst the
Creates philosophers, and Justly Mr.. Wood
loses nothing by having scientifically APP
pied AN idea which had occurred to Gall
leo
| Amongst the many discoveries and INVENT
ons which modern science boasts, there are
few which have wholly originated with the
men 10 whom they are ascriDed. Every man
VINO is engaged in mathematical pursui s
must often fall upon combinations of ideas
new, at least, to himself. Mr.. Woods the
DRY may he found erroneous, but like all those
who prefer Truth 10 idle applause, he has
invited the anImadver,lops of such as choos
toinvestigate it. 1t is thought Co be a pri
mary object with all who love the SCIENCE
| to instruct those with whom they correspond
or to be instructed by them, and as in this
and such cases Truth is the only object OF
enquiry, il is the more necessary that it
should be conducted with all possible good
temper and iberalty.
The question IN the Ladies Derry, solved
| by Heath in 1748 gives the length of the
whole curve described in one day, or on. en-
tire revolution OF the Earth and was proba :.
ply suggested by one proposed the proceed
! ing year in which the lensth of the common
Cycloid was compared with that of the curve