Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1837-03-03
From the Rutland Herald.
VARIATION OF THE MAGNETIC
NEEDLE.
To ]. Johnson, Esq, Srreyor General of The
State of Vermont.

~
sonol acnuain,auce nc> eriheess take the liberty
Of addressing you on the subject OF the magnetic
variation
Something like ten wears since. I addressed a
communication TO Prof HALL, then OF NiddIebury
College, stating the expediency OF adopting Il course
oieXper,meuts 10 ascertain the true variation OF
the Magnetic Needle, through the State of Ner-
mont The course proposed seemed to meet his
entire approbnton aud lie gave my letter publicity
in the Alddlebnrv papers aud the Albany Argus,
But as he left the College abont that time, nothing
further irnnspred on the ,uhjecj-and it would seem
10 be matter almost totally elected by surveyors
IN this STATE, notwithstanding lis high Importance
10 community at large. "lhat II Is desirable that
observation should he annually made, no one can
,,oub ,nasinuch us the boundaries OF lands are
usually described according to the course indicated
by the needle. aud there are 40 rules ly Whirh us
variation can be aSccttained iot any interval Of
time, according to which some boundaries can he
rctracpd when the land marks have been obllterd~
ted" That the cu.opcralIon Of surveyors aud
Malhemacians, to ascertain lom time TO time and
al dneren, places. the tue decInltIon Of the Mag.
nelic Needle i, too obvious to require illustration.
The phenomenal OF the magnet has for many cen.
turtles engaged the attention ut philosophers, not
merely from the 0hscurIly IN which II Is involved,
but the importance o. the subject II would seem,
however, that no one has as yet arrived To any very
satisfactory conclusion, as 10 the cause, bat gen.
cra'y cohceued 'n"' II ,"NS WA vi VIC '"'''' ''''
near the poles. 1t is also discovered that a con
siderable affinity docs exist, between thu electric
and the magnetic powers yet IN what manner
electricity acts in producing magnetism, Is not dls
timely known. The power and acting prInclple OF
the Magnet continues to be one OF those hidden
mysteries ~ "''"'' '''' "'', l
'"os' S'' "'"'" W. s'",'-' w. ;l,,,, 80 ,
yet pee" iianr"' n'' "'S !" ""N ''''5"'' " l,'t
'''" '""H'''' "V'"''I.' w e." we '''''''
MAGNETIC
,"o ''e '"'I' ''', ,., ',,, ,'o,
',''''" o'' ','''''' r,, ,Li Jir,c,;o,
"''' i''', W " ''' '',,o ,I,o, ma,
ANY "'''' !" "'N''' v" '.' "" t I
f''''''' '"S '''''' - " '''''' 'f
r',' ~ '''' ,r, tina
- WIZ N',"" " '''' n,'t, ''
"c'' "''''' "''> "'' "'"'H' i'''' ;" ''''
,'"a '''' Wv ',o,' IS f,, -
'''c''' ''' ~ '"' ''"'' paw ct ~ W
'"ne ""' Is '"e same |" an ""S"c''' "'''S ut '"'
S'''e '''yT' o,, ..;.,
u "'""' Ne o'''S" '"'" NY l",'''n "'''-" ~
'''''l' II" ''"'.''''''o ' ~ ~, "'' ''IT
'"'S' NY S''''""' H'''"''' " '"o "','''o'
81 we" ~ "".' t'r "'"S ,i'a' "I,"
.'V'"'eu, 'e'l'''"7 'l''' '''' ''',o
"'P' H"'o' ""'' NUM- ''' ,.a. W Wv,
t" "''e, nave e"'" "''""'e' "'".,'"' ,"o'" w. """
"""" "h', rent c""c'''S' IS 10 ''e cause u '"c'e
"t,'"'ne """'''
NC ''' ''H'oN, co., ~ w Wv ''''' " ''' ''''''
was >" , ,? !r' i4o ny O" ., ",I .' tH
.'.', c,rcf,,y studied ard thorough
T., 'T ;n ''as IonI,n Chen ,nc variation wa.
rnnt - 1a ~ Jo,, 5om,n = and in 1920, hut & |
ioo T., la 1924 if WAS ( d., ) m. but in the |
a ,GcG ,i,' n,aIio ,,,s d,.cn,ct.d 10 point due
%,i ,''J L,,a', lnrn live n4,ll,. varied = dcr
nn ~, a. 100 ,,,,,. Il ,.o. ". A. lave Il,
~ I -" 1901 ,ha ,,,i,,;,,n VA. "a deg. % M
Wa', A., p,,;, ,ho noodle ,oin,ed due North IN
,s7. .ha, ,;',n ,n.,,s latter Than Al london; and
"" ''' ''''J .',,,,a ,,,,e
VT dal,,,;n, nr ,hr nerIc !. found to be 10
WV, ,",,,,,L MI rnrnne Africa. and some
we w ~ s'',,, I,cc. much greater
,I,n ., o,h,.,. In Snaln. [l,ly, Greece aud the
man AZ "'"t'9. ~ F'''' 49, , L,,c;,r