Delaware patriot & American watchman., 1828-06-17
FOR THE DELAWARE PATRIOT,

Mr. Clement aoticed your paper Of The I'd inst
der the head of Royal puzzle" atepmt 10 explain
problem, the rationale OF which is said thus fer be de-
sideratum with the learned world Two Circular cards
inches in diameter, entire and slightly concase the
other perfectly fat, with small aperture through
centre The experiment is to be conducted TIA, adap;
TO the hole in the centre Of the fat card the end Of gNl
further through than pane with the outer surface
ofthe cardpace the other end Of the quill which be
open in the mouth throw the head sufficiently back To
make the card torzonts hen place ,hs end
with the conca"y downaa ds directly The other card
blowing through the qnl = ten 10 be performed With
much force possible. Hh.eh however will not dsplace
the upper card
The esssys attempts sol;e the problem the prin
cple Of ,aculy, and says there is vacuum formed be-
tween the two cards, nearly ~ 1ropo, qt 'ie seeic
gravity Of The surrounding atmosphere. ard 'he breath
emitted from the lungs, say 1000 70 o5ghe On 10
"the you will blew, the more It wont hy rif
and 'hc stronger you blow he more perect NE vacuum.
The breath being lighter ed by qnantit OF oxygen taker
up by the lungs; and caloc combined with n,r1gen,o
and he snaad have added portion OF ear,onic gas.
aud thrown ont BY respiration Here heh ae have -
Guanty Of oxyge, and calorc conl9n % ws nltrpsen
aud caoric gas all combined to produce 7ictim = hc
it is so satisfied with The correctness = hs enfy.
that exultingy demands an hundred gnineas OF the
81 ROYAL Sbcety for lis detfu discovery bni TO me,
his reasoning is quite unntegibe, and if it proves any
thing i, proves the very reverse Of his intention,
have tried the experiment, and hope to prove to You,
and others that The essayiss conclusions entirely
neous and that the solution sha Offer without fee, nr
reward other ,han public approbaon is both conclusive
and conprehenslble.
| | conducted the experiment agreeahly to the
foregoing directions, without efectlng the dis
placement of the upper card. | then turned the
conre1 surface Of the upper card downwaids, and
! blew with the same result next substituted a
card of the same diameter, perfectly tiat--resu II
the same-then pieces of thin paper, with like
result then inverted the process, and laid the
entire on table and directly over and on plane
with it, held The other card and blew--the effect
was to raise the lower card from the table into
contact with the upper and retain It there, as long
as blowing was contnued--l then ttiec pieces ol
thin paper with the same result.
1t must therefore be evident from the result OF
the tnverted concare card rand the inrerslon Of the
,vhole erperiment, that The rationale of TIE desde.
ratum is not to be accounted for, by vacuum be
ing formed between the two cards; for how could
vacuum exist between the convex surface OF the
one card and the plane of the other? There GER
talnly could be none in the inverted process.
The theory which suggests to me, and appears
} better to solve the problem, IS founded on tht
difference between the relative gravties of the op
posing airs.--The weight Of the atmospheric pres
sure on each square inch is fifteen pounds that o
the respired air mparatyely much less, and whcl
is rarefed still more by latent heat being evolved
in proportion to the force Of expiration, by the ac
ton and relation of the respired air against thu
cartls.-Hence, it must of necessity follow accor
ding to the laws Of gravity, and not vacuity. tina
the upper card is retained in contact with the un
der; by weight of atmospheric pressure, equal t
the difference between the weights OF the oppo
, sing columns Of air.-No other solution will al
satisfactorily explain the floating Of the card from
the table into contact with that through which ex
: piration is performed.
Yours Respectfully,
t A SUBSCRIBER.