The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1851-08-27
VOLUME XXI.
From Arthsr's Home Gazette.
FAMILIAR CONVERSATION
ON INTERESTING SUBJECTS.
BY a LADY OF BALTIMORE.


would lei i, ss ia cold water i, would draw
il all cut; and now the saucer 10 as dry as if
there never had bsen dropiu it. | don't
think ssyihing could have disturbed it, be
cause the handkerchief .slyiog just as l,it
il. Wha. do you ,hink caused Il, mother 70
"At,fsctlon."
Attraction again, mother Not cohe
sivs attraction, then, nor the attraction Of
prssilauon either, I'm sure
No, Clars ihis force by which small
tubes or porous substances raise liquids above
their levels, is termed capillary attraction -
:" ] don't exactly understand you, mother"
- Go look 10 the drawer Of that little Ia.
bic. and you viii find a small glass tube ::
bnug II TO mo, end perhaps can make II
plsin TO you"
Wilson taking the tube, placed 1t 10 basia
OF water.
Nov, lock, Clara snid ,he, "snd tell
me whether the wafer IS higher on the cut.
sids or inside Of tho tube r.
"0a tbs inside" was the reply
Well, iha, is what is mesnt BY waite,
being above its level"
Bat wha, causes II TO rise above It's le.
vel mother
Because the sides of 3 small tube arc
10 near each other, that they attract the
PARTICLES Of the fluid on the opposite sides
snd Is all attraction Is strongest ~ the dl.
rsotIon Of Iho greatrs, quaatty OF matter,
the water is raised IN the direction of the
lsrgth Of the tube. Nov, on the outside
IT Is evident that the opposite surfscos cao.
no, act ob the same column Of water,
therefore the Influence OF allfectton i hardly
TO be perceived
"1hpa. mother, isuppose that tic threads
Of linen 10 my handke'e chief act Us tubes 10
draw the water up"
Yes and II you wet one cud e piece
of sponge the little hulos or capillary lubes
we see 10 II, csuse the water to rise ard wet
the whole piece. Do you fseollec,, Clara,
the ofher night, aisn Phsbe brought the
lamp le il gave such poor light that ~as
obllged to send il out again :"
ayes mahsr, aud you told her The uiek
was TOO thick"
Ju., so The wick beirg too ihck, lhs
capillary tubes we're oearly clorrt prd 10
consequence the oil di Goi rise fast enough
to supps the flare. Bot have sorethlug
to show you, which ! laiuk wall surprise ou
more Than your empty shncer.
Mrs. Wilson then arose. and unlocking
little box took lherefrom a pi'ce Of iron
somswha, resembling horse shoe - shape.
She then placed ca 'aa table a doz-a nee
dies or more ever vi hIch she held he piece
o iron.
"Oh, mohsf, how funoy tha, -" cx.
claimed Clara, es she beheld The needles hop
about after the iron which her mother moved
bsek sni then holding II siil nearer 10 them,
they instantly Jumped up sud clung fast TO 1t.
as though they had met Wih dearly beloved
ffleaI.
Mrs. Wilson then took from the same box,
beautiful lule china duck. which she
placed n basin Of water. 4 slender piece
Of iron. with a small piece uf bread on the
end moved around the BASIN, cause the duck
to follow as Il trying to catch the bread
ns tell me, mother, what " The cause
OF all this 7" asked Clara, as much astoosh.
ed as she was delighted w,h what she had
seen.
"Tb,s," replied her mother, 4" is wha, IS
called msgnettc attraction THIS piece Of
iron, resembling horse shoe, Is termed
magnet, or oadstors, ard Will. without
any previous preparation, attract IRON or
steel, in the way you have Just sceR,
This little duck, YOU perceive, has piece
Of steel, for us bill, which w. attracted by
this .lerder piece Of lson, which Is an stIl.
fcal magnet"
What is an artificial magnet mciher ~
piece of common iron or steel, that
has received it's magnetic virtue by beng
Iubhed with the natural magnet or loadstone !;
aud thls again will impart ITS virtue to anoth.
or place, and so on indefinitely. There are
many wonderful properties belonging to the
magnet, which have engaged the attention
OF philosophers for many ages, but thus far
M one, boleve, has been able to account
lor them IN an easy aud satisfactory man
usrl"
Who first discovered them, mother r.
Authors are divided en- this point, but
The generality Of them a'ctIbo II to John &c
diola, native of Naples. |; wat known a.
mong the Crooks and Romans by the name
Of hagnes, on account Of i,s having been first
'ound IN Maguesia, a province OF Macedo'
ha."
Is il found nowhere else, mother r
Yves, it has bssn since discovered IN
nearly every part OF the world, but tho best
specimens Of i, are said 10 be found IN the IS
hnd Of Eiba. Ii is astonishing to see what
aweghl may be lifted by a magnet THIS
piece, which weighs abou, one pennywelght
VIII llft this bar, which weighs forty times as
much, See how firmly it ia attached to IT.
iy Il you can pull them apart, Clara"
Yes, mother, bu, have to give pretty
hafd pull, aud il feels oil the time as il there
"" somsihing pulling ii from mo-"
les; and as soon as you lot them have