The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-08-24

The AMERtCAN ASSOCIATION ADVANCEMENT
Scnrck This body. which had a session of three days
1T Cam bridge Mars, has adj ourned Among other
subjects. that Of electricity and the boress
was introduced and spoken OF by Doctor Hare. He
said:The idea is suggested that moist air is conduc
tor am enabled to say, from experimental observa-
ton, that moist air conductor it only mparts
conducting to the surface Of glass other in
ssstors by it's deposition them and thus paralyzes
apparatus which for its efficiency requires insulation
From the conductor of an electrical machine so
pended an iron rod Terminated BY a knob as to de-
scend through the open neck Of bell glass placed
over a capsule Of water sufficiently hot to yield
copious cloud Of steam Under these circumstances.
the red hot iron being incapable OF being coated with
moisture the sparks from 1t as well as IL the
condemned vapor or fog had not been present.. Pro-
fessor Farraday has inferred. and no mans expert
mental differences worthy OF confidence. that
the torrent Of electricity produced by jet of high
steam caused by the friction Of the globules
Whether froLl this cause, or change Of capacity re-
sultipg from condensaon there evidently In nature
an enormous power Of electrying those immense
maAses Of condensed water Of which thunder clouds
are formed so IS to create the gigantic discharges
which take place during electrical storms Were
moist air conductor, these clouds could not retain
their charges until intense enough to give the i'm
meme sparks which are oil lightning; nor could
spark be given by jet OF high steam, since the
moisture which it 70 copou-ly supplies, would carry off
the electricity mperceptibly as soon o. generated
In respect to the aurora borealis. will advert to
svfgestion which published In 1885, and sgreesbly to
which there are three great concentrc spaces first,
the earth which IL a conductor; then the atmosphere
which is non conductor when moist lastly the
space beyond the earth which must act As . conduc-
tor as we know that certain degree Of rarcfsction
discharged through the cavity Of exhausted tube,
unipfuenced BY its length We have. then. in this
great globe the denser portion Of its and
the medium beyond all the features Of the Ley
den jar. and OF course enormous capability Of
cevpg the opposite states requisite to the production
Of electric discbarges That the faculty Of producing
those states exists is clear from the considerations
above mentioned IL Is then, evident that the inter-
mediate conducting concentrated sphere by
tho atmosphere IL competent to receive charge OF
electricity ~ hollow gasssr globe; and that there
are in nature means OF electrical excite
sreas IN hat hal Al.
ate sphere which the others a. con-
Quoting coatings may have its inner and outer sur
aces oppositey charged and that in dis
charges may ensue either diruptively ~ lightning or
convectyey a. In tornadoes and hurricanes which
conceived to their centrepta blasts to the ascent
at the axis Of the storms, Of the electrified particles
repeed by the similarly electrified terrestrial SUPER
electrified atmospheric surface, the buoyancy OF
which, arising from the rarity due to its altitude,
prevents II from descending Moreover there may
be dinuse Aurora like discharges from one part Of
TO smother. which may take place between sro-
tic r. gle NJ and the antarctic All the within
the arctic and antarctic circles by extreme
cold into snov or ice must be rendered perfectly
be highly qualified for the reception and retention OF
electricity until sufficient intensity Ia attained to
eject discharges through the medium existing
at more than thirty miles above the earths surface
where the air Ia IL BE- .ndered by the
perfect air pump. and consequently, above men,
toned. as fully competent TO act as q conductor.
tball not now expstiste respecting those th.orec
g,stions already published agreeaby 20 which the OPP
poetic electrcites to be sscribed Opposite pos
rites impaired TO different portions Of an ether which
peivsdes the creation and OF which the s
feotons are now generally supposed be the Of
beh'. viii postpone that topic to suitable oc-
CAST n That the splendid and interesting phenomen
described In the paper which has been read are sttr
butsble to electricity, ! have no doubt.