The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-11-19

Il IHE aEEDLE AT AL THINKS AND PLAoEs--SEcAE-
i rARY or rug NAyI--IRoE yEssELs-DsAsrER or
rHE GREAr BRrAR-SurrOsED CAUSE or NJ
i AsEcDorE OF AN ESGLIsH STEAMER ON the COAST
| or AFRIcA.
wA.HRsros, Nov. Is, 1876.
To d. Editor Of hs UniOni
Sra: When exhibited to you my improvement
for showing hs vgaiiOns Of the compass AT all times and
places, and which you noticed In the Union a few
weeks since, / promised you a more full account
4 than wished then published, il being tested
at the hayward, and preferred awaiting the re-
Il suits. . ..
Before proceed to the fulhlmsnt of that promise,
viii this occasion to say that, on exhibiting
my compass TO the President and Secretary OF the
Navy together, the President left il with Mr.. Ma
son 10 pursue such course as he should think
proper in relation 10 it. IL gives great pleasure
10 add, received every facility the Hon. Seceretary
could direct for developing the powers and value OF
my Improvement and lastly, an order from him.
which cannot, think, fail TO insure lis early use by
the United States navy, for the order comes fully
up to my written proposition TO the Navy Depart
ment. This result fulhls my cherished desire To
make my discovery, by government adoption and
patronage before II went into use IN other countries,
ineonteslably .7aSrieda. did wish Congress TO
give it To the world, France had the daguereo-
type and England the ckronometeri but the present
| circumstances FIX its naii0nalify-ouT government
ships at least, will hereafter by the union and
eagle, instead Of the "howers Of France" In all
that has TRANSFERRED in the negotiation, have found
Mr.. Mason, while properly guarding the depart
ment against imposition, still maniesIng the gen
tleman and patriot ia all communications, and IN
which the frankness Of the only equaled
| by the promptness Of the officer ] am proud and
happy in being able TO record this truth, for has
| saved me the dreaded humiliation OF seeking in a
foreign country what had previous 10 his appoint
ment despared Of obtaining-a test or patronage by
i my own government
| The universally supposed impossibiliIy Of ma
i king compass which would IaOso Us uariaiiOns az
all times and place, aware Of; and there was
time should have given very little attention or
credit TO such proposition. | was therefore pre-
pared to see 1t meet the same Incredibly in others
i was not simple sangulne as 10 suppose
others less skepucal, than should once have been
myself | had read the fate which attended heppler
j and Ga promugalions OF truth, and tortihed
myself to meet doubts and prejudice, and the denun-
cIations Of the psuedo wise.
In all Of these expectations, however, have been
disappointed; for have shown my compass and
| exhibited its powers 10 over two hundred persons,
including some Of the most scientific and practical
nayigaors and surveyors, and not 0fa tch0 haze
a. has dsnisd It's pO'osrs Of forming phat clam,
/ for Il. Some have said, that although they could
no possible reason against Its perfection, still
| they could not comprehend the principles OF It's
actions or the wherefores Of its results: Others
1
minute examinations Of IL, and tests freely author
ized me to refer to them. Much as ! appreciate
those proffers and their authors, and potent they
might be- prefer TO let the compass speak for itself
in the simplicity Of its operations aud truth Of results,
| which, II II cannot do opinions putting will not
make IT, Thus, then, have been happily disaP.
pointed by its universal approval and the absence Of
condemnation dsnuneatiOn in a singls instance.
| All who know anything Of the compass, are in a
measure Of the errors il is subject to, and con-
Il =. Il a r H..
mining variations all times and places Those unac
quainted with the subject will be assured OF its i'm
portanee by the following copy Of letter from the
scientific naval officer at the head Of the United
States Observatory:
| "HrpRoGRAPHrc OFFICE, March 8, 1874
] "S,R: have received your note informing me
that you have discovered the of ascertaining
the variation Of the needle all times and places and
asking my opinion to the utility and value of the
| discovery
| at is doubtful whether shipwrecks occur
from the effects Of unknown currents, the secret
| effects of the variation. The lives and property
| thus lost, show that such discovery as the one
you announced, If really made, would be invalu'
| able.
| Respectfully, your obedient servant,
| IN. F. MAURY,
| Lieutenant United States navy.
| John R. ST.. JOIN,
| Buffalo, New York"
The origin of the compass is unknown, although
its discovery has been claimed 10y the Venetans the
| French and by some credited TO the Chinese, while
others affirm it to have been in possession of the He
| brew and Egyptians, and used by Solomon. Ii
was first known in western Europe about the
/ twelfth century. Be its origin what 1t may, this
much only is known of it, that it is the same now,
in all vital respects 1t was at our hrst knowledge
Of it, essential improvement ever having been
| made.
Before the voyage of Columbus to America, the
| needle supposed to point to the true north
everywhere. In other words, the variations were
then unknown. In that voyage Columbus made the
discovery; and stating the fact his RETURN expert
ments soon proved the truth Of his assertion. From
then till now, efforts have been made to remedy the
evil without success Expeditions have been fitted
out to make observations throughout the globe.
ii England and France have expended large sums In
research and Investigations; and they still keep up
numerous observatories, as does the United States
| Philosophers have experimental and investigated
the subject, and watched the changes in all ATTITUDES,
longudes, and attitudes; but all research and ef-
fort has resulted in showing, at each new discovery,
greater necessity for the remedy they sought. Al
i most every generation has furnished new and ar
dent aborer in the field of search for remedy but
they have successfully passed to the tomb, leaving
nothing the result of their labors, save develop
Of evil and danger greater than before known,
without remedy. Time has contributed to show
that whatever variations do exist from the
change they undergo they defy all rules Of determi-
nation. Thus, according to Bonds Record, at Lon
don from 1880 to 1906 the variation at that city
had changed from ISL degrees euss to "a degrees
west, sometimes standing stl for several years, and
then again going forward, rendering all rules of cal
cuation abortive
Various and deliberately defined theories upon the
cause the needle pointing generally to the NORTH as
well as upon the natural and local variations and lines
ofno variation have from time time been put forth,
i which time and new discoveries have proven fall
acious. All that is really kRowa, even at this day
is that the needle points truly NORTH in only compa-
rativey small portion OF the globe what called
the Haiiegan, lines Of paration. One Of these
lines is n western Europe, and the other in eastern
America. These approach and recede from each
other. They approached each other till 1857, and
then began to recede. Since then, ours has moved
/ west from Cape Hattcras, and now passes nearly
over Richmond, Virginia, and abont 90 miles vest
Of Erie, Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie, having moved
west 40 miles in the last eight years. II is also
known that dangerous variations exist throughout
/ 81 Inl. al.