Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1845-11-26
CO1aHUNICATIONs.
For the Advertiser.
ARTICLE Ill.

CaLoR1c, is "highly aIlenuated. I'M,
ponderahle and sub,il furm o! matter
The particles of which repel each other hp'
are atiracted by other bodies"
Heal, is the effect Of the ecuen Of this
agent, caloric. As pain is. the. result sol
The operation of irritating agents applied
10 The tody, so is healthe result OF ihe. ac-
ton of The matter, caloric.
This agent is inherent in all bodies
and causes them to assume the different
forms of solids, fluids, vapors, and gases
lii is to latent caloric, that these different
consis,cncies are wing, and without This
agent. gases, vapors, and huius. would oe
soiidifed. and even solids te occupy much
smaller spaces and 10 reason from anal,
ogn. wesbelieve if caloric was entirely
Withdrawn from our globe, it would be
so conlensed, as 10 occupy The space OF u
nutshell. This opinion is not wild or i'm
aainary. when we recollect that hundreds
Of gallons OF. the gases, or vapors' may De
condensed (by Withdrawing from them
their. llea, of composition) in!o Tie space
of a quart. -,
Tie principle sources ofcaloric, are the
sun. aud mechanical aud chemical action
The different farms which caloric as
ssssifrae are, = 81. Free, or sensible heat,
lion. 3d. Latent, inseusibie, or hidden
heat.
Free calnric, is that form Of hea, which
IS observed by The thermometer, and sense
ol touch. Ii is disengagcd very 'coplous
ly, in The action Of mes' ri ''tte daaere!t
forms of ma,ler upon each others anu IN
tile ordinary process OF combustion, II Is
,,isenrapctl from the a,mospheIe by the
chemichaI combination Of certain mole
cules of the cumhusrible material WIN
oxygen. ltis also diseusased by The ac
linn nf certain chemicals npon each 9th
er: AS the continuation of sulphuric ACID
and wafer, and by friction, as III lhe ope-
ration Of boring cannon.
The term specific heat, is applied 10 The
,heru,ometrir caioric, required 10 raise
different substances 10 the same lenpera
,ure. Thus, the quantity Of heat which
will raise oil Two degrees, will raise water
onlyone; hence. quantity OF waIer' at
the boiling point. 2l2", has twice as much
hea, in /, ms oil al the same degree tho
snerific heat of water being J, that OF oil
is05. Notwithstanding water, al 2l2"
has more than twice as much heat IN u as
all al 212o i,;cannol be detected ny the
thermometer. or the senses; mother woHis,
their sensible temperature is the SAME
Latenr caloric, is hat form OF heat which
exists in an insensible state, III ditfereut
substances.
For example. in liquifyins ice, i, takes
IiOo of heat 10 convert il iIi:O water, hut
after this change has takenFplace, the,wa-
ter is of the same temperature as The ice
previous TO being melted,y aud again if
This water is udpori.ea, many m"re de.
orees OF heat is taken to convert It into
Steam; and after having attained the
boiling point. .2l2s, Notwithstanding this
canon or steam has several degrees of
heat in i, more than boiling water still
,he steam aud The boiling water, are bosh
of precisely The same temperature
This law in caloric, explains the reason
,yhv !, is much warmer when the earliI's
e,riace is frozen over, with seei nr snow.
rbanit is during ,haw. As wa!er imme-
dia,ely on freezing, throws out l4O de-
erees of sensible caloric, it mus necessa-
riiy increase The temperature Of all other
bodies. On The other haud, during "a
thaw, as 140 degrees of heat is taken 10
Iiouify ice, which l40 degrees remains IN
a laten: stale. The temperature OF other
bodies must consequently be reduced
The destruction of vegetation by frost is
accounted for on the principle. The
delicate blooms Of fruit trees may be
heavily covered with frost during the
whole night without ipjnrins them. but SO
soon as the sun rises. The frost immediate
lytin contact with The bloom begins 10
melt, and as $40 degrees is takento melt
the frost, asiarge portion of this heat is
taken from he delicate germ, which must
necessarily destroy ii. -
Evaporation, is a process by which wa;
tersand other liquids are converted into
yapor, anu is one of the most important
and general effects Of heat. The matter
Of heat combining whitewater, renders lis
specific grauuy less than that OF the at,
mosphefe, by which means il rises and
assumes the form oftclouas.