Lexington union. (Lexington, Miss.) 1838-18??, 1839-02-23
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From The Southern Literary Messenger.


SUPERIORITY CONFERRED BY SCIENCE.
"A shopkecper, IN China, sold to the
purser OF a ship quantity Of distilled
spirits, according to "a sample shown;
butnot standing IN awe of conscience,
Le afterwards, in the privacy of his
store-house, added CERTAIN quantity
ofwatertoeachcask. The spirithaving
been delivered on board, and tried by
the hydrometer, was discovered to be
mstrcngth. When the vender
was charged with the intended fraud,
he at first denied it, for he knew of no
human means which could have made
the discovery; but on the exact quantity
OF water which had miycd, being
specified, a superstitious dread seized
him,and having confessed his roguery,
he madeample amends.
The above is one instance among
MANY which might be mentioned, ofthc
advantage scientific knowledge gives
itsposscssoroyerthci ignorant. Whilst
the philosopher in his study is'engagcd
in the laborious investigation abstract
truth, the question is often asked"cUR-
BoNo?" For what goodY] But when
the results of his Investigations are
appliedto the affairs Of real life, their
benefits are at once evident. Perhaps
one or two more instances may this
truth in a stronger light.
On mount Pilatus, near lake Luzurne,
is available growth Of fir trees, which
on account OF the inaccessible nature Of
the mountain, had remained for ages
uninjured until when a few years a
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS construct
a trough in the form of an inclined
plane, by which these trees are made
TO descend by theirown weight, through
space Of eight miles, from the side oil
the mountain to the margin ofthe lake.
Although the average declivity is no
more than one foot in seventeen, and
the rout often circuitious, and some
times horizontal, yet so great is the ac-
celebration, that tree dcscends the
whole distance in the short space of six
inmates. TO the spectator, standing by
the side of the trough, at first is heard,
on the approach Of the tree, a roaring.
noise, becoming louder AID louder; the
tree comes in sight at the distance of
halfa mile, and il an instant afterwards
shoots past with the noise of thunder,
and almost with the rapidity of an ar
row. But for the knowledge Of the
plane, which the German en-
gncer had previously acquired, such
work as this would have appeared i'm
possible.
The chronometer, aspccies of watch
constructed to 60 with great accuracy,
has been applied to the purpose Of de.
termining longitude at sea. safer
months spent in q passage from South
America to Asia, says Arnott,"our cap
tain's chronomcter announced that
certain point ofland was then bearing
east from the ship at "a distance Of fifty
miles; and in an hour afterwards, when
a mist cleared away the locker out on
the mast gave the joyous CALI land
ahead nverifying the report ofthe chro-
nomcter almost to mile, after 4 yoy-j
age ofthousands. It's natural at such
a moment, with the dangers and uncer-
tainties of ancient navigation before the
mind, to cxult in contemplating what
man has now achieved. Had the rate |
ofthe wonderful little instrumentin all
that time changed even a little, its an
would have been worse
than useless butin the night, and in
the day, in storm, and il calm, il lieat,
and in cold--while the persons around
it we're experiencing every vicissitude
Of mental and bodily conditions its
steady bent went on keeping exact ac-
count of the rolling earth, and of the
stars; and in the midst OF The trackless
waves, it was always ready to tell its
magic tale Of the very spot Of the globe
over whichit had arrived. In one point
Dfvicw, this rcsultappears to arise from
The perfection ofthe chronometer's me.
chanism; but had not the man ofscience
determined the exact figure Of the earth
and its rate of motion around both its
owr, axis and the sun, the chronometer
could have given no information res
pccting the longitude; it would have
old its tale indeed, hut without science
IS its interpreter, that tale would have |
remained wrapped in the mystery ofanI
unknown tongue.
"A Wrapper We have heard Of man
who is so tall, that his pantaloons have 10 |
,e wove in rope walk. He folds up like
two foot rule, and has to get onhis knees
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