New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-06-13
p,;ue,s crcn. Discovery.

In order to let our readers hear all sides as
to the interesting question whether Paine'S
discovery be genuine or not, we quote the
following extracts from letter sent US bya
respected correspondent. Theletter was not
intended for publication, but our friend will
pardon the liberty we take with him. The
objection he states we have heard before
from more than one source, and we suppose
it is one which viii suggest itself to every
man at all acquainted with the recognized
principles of Natural Science.
"Being in Washington three weeks since, |
asked Professor Henry what he thought OF II. He
said, Nothing--fr it was in opposition to one gen
eral law that the force exerted by the bodies sep
arated could not be greater than that required to
separate them, and this he illustrated by single
example, which ] saw was merely the type OF a
thousand that might be furnished For instance,
stone is attracted to the earth to the extent of its
weight, say 100 pounds. To separate the two will
require force some what exceeding 100 pounds.
Let it drop, and it win give power rather less
than the force required TO raise it. rock on the
top Of a mountain, that may be pushed over with
the hand, will fall with certain force. Measure it,
and it will be found to be just SO much less than
the mower which had been, or would be, required
10 raise it. as the friction Of the machinery Two
atoms of gas adhere in the form Of water and their
adhesiveness is say so pounds To separate them,
you require little more than so pounds Of power.
When separated they tend TO come together with
the same force as before which 10 little less than
the power which bad been used to separate them,
and more than that they cannot exert.
"Mr. Paine proposes by the aid of small weights
10 separate bodies that are to give great power
alter they are separated. fhe has discovered this
secret he has discovered much more, for he has an
entire new system of Philosophy to create. The
earth is attracted to the sun under the law that
mention, which is the great law, and must be
proved 10 be false before that Of MrsP aine can be
true.
awhile on this subject, viii give yoS the very
simple view given to me four years since by Pro-
fessor Henry on the subject Of electricity as a
moving power. 1t was given at the time when the
papers were filed with notices of the operations of
q great company in Germany, that was about to
supersede the use of fuel, as Mr.. Paine is now
about to do. But the company died away, after
wasting very large amount of capital in absurd
experiments.
sHe told me that ne constructed the first cleo
trc carriage and carried 1t through so far as TO sat
lsfy himself that it was mere toy and could be |
nothing more-and the reason that it was so was
hat electricity was only an indirect use offuel, and
therefore, more expensive than the direct one
,onna nd acid final md IN htain
by their aid a great amount OF power required
more fuel than would produce the same power by
IL direct application to the water. The metals
md acids are what may be known as riddlemea
md we ell know that the more Of them there are
nterposed between the producer and the consumer
be leas is the power Of both.
1.-TWO years since, the English papers rang
nth another not dissimilar discovery. You know
nat by the slow action Of the hydrostatic pump, a
mall power is made to produce great efFsc. in a
'ng time. The discovery consisted in obtaining
10 great power in iiale unexpectedly as If a man
ere to discover 4 mode Of raising as much with
0rt lever as with long one without any increase
the power applied 1t was asserted that it had
zen submitted 10 the Lords Of the Treasury and
her officers OF Government and had succeeded
der repeated trials-and the secret consisted Of
0 Intervention OF great deal of machinery be-
cen the operator and the thing to be operated
Oh, al Of which must have diminished instead of
reAsing the power, by increasing the friction.
Q discovery passed away as that Of MIR. P. mast
unless the known laws of nature are to be super
ed by new system"
TO these objections Mr.. Psine's answer :
that he has discovered new laws and !,