Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-11-01
FOUCAULTS PENDULUM-THE EARTH's
ROTATION.

From the Guardian, educational magazine edited at the
Female Institute, Columbia, Tennessee.
Avery happy idea in onnexion with this bsa0sfui expe
rnso. 70 Natural Philosophy p. been ps..n.sa 70 .ho
ID s t. & - ] ~, ,sss ~b.sl d .oms .is
glass for the avoidance Of friction The wheel supported
horizontally upon its central point and 10 shut up from all
disturbing influences of currents in the air being left entirely
to itself The wheel exhibits all the phenomena of Foucaus
penduumhe earth revolving around it. causing seeming
revolution Of the Wheel precisely in the Of the
dulum.
The probability that chip resting upon the surface of
tub Of water secluded from a atmospheric notions and left
perfect repose would exhibit the phenomena, but not
in so marked way owing the disturbing influence Of the
friction Of the water sgain the sides Of the vessel high
yposhed steel needle rests upon the surface Of quicksilver
apparently without contacts certain insects walk upon
without wetting their feet Could perfectly circular
vessel be devised of material that would annhilate the
tadaon of friction being filled with quicksilver, it s pos
sbe that float placed upon its surface would exhibit Mons
Foucaus beautiful idea far better than his pendulum,
Prof. Srongs Wheel The quantity of the fluid expert
mened with has nothing to do with the Of the
rment and quicksilver the most promising substance for
the trial. being the denses fluid known that possessing
the highest Uis inerti@ or resistance to motion.
probable thai, whenever round vessel of any easily
moving fluid is left for time in state Of perfect rest,
slowly revolving motion like Foucaults pendu
lum in obedience the earh's durnal rotation This
ton less considerable the vessel is less
rem ,te from the earhs equator It's direction to the left
in north latitude, and to the right if in south latitude
Ever since the Of Prof. strongs variation
of the Foucaut experiment we have been waiting for
this very obvious inference, and demon
strae Of the remarkable Of the oceanic cur
easily traced 10 the influence first suggested by the
rotating pendulum.
Some twenty five years ago Capt. Basil Hall promulgated
the theory the trade wnds which now received
quiesced by the learned every where and it
prsng that he did not happen to advance little further, and
present the world the very experiment of Mons Foucau
This theory, in brief is that the atmospheric has
general aon precisely equal with that Of tho earth but
that is constantly approaching to or eceding the equa
under the influence Of areaction from the suns rays
Within the tsrrid the movement Of atmosphere
es and the higher audes, whether north or south, great
than the average rotatory movement OF the earhs
face the result being easerly winds the equator, and
es,ery winds at oil points far enough removed from it.
The basin ,ub Of the North Atlantic presents the most
striking instance Of large and somewhat Insulated body OF
water removed far enough from the equator to exempy
with dsncness the influence Of the carths rotary motion
The Gulf Stream its western side the we'll known current
setting eastward from Newfoundland towards Europe, dis
nct southerly movement along the Spanish and African
coasts ard the westerly motion within the tropics, hitherto
asclibed usvey the influence Of the Trade Winds
stue very striking demonstration of the influence of the
power first suggested by Mons. Foucault The northern
portion of the Pacific will probably, being thoroughly
explored verify this theory In the hern hemisphere
find equally plain confirmation Of the truth Of Mons Fou
cauis theory. The Indian Ocean forms another isolated
body Of water which constantly exhibiting the phenomena
j
much incrfered with by the periodical monsoons while its
southern division little aversed by the Davigators
be almost unknown. Its western sde between Madagascar
aud Africa known the Channel Of Mzambque, exhibits
almost repetition Of Atlantic Gulf Stream. constant
through between Madagascar and the continents
running ordinarily the Of four five miles per hour
Being the opposite side Of the equator the stream flows in
direction opposite that the North American COAST
the rotation the insulated being the right rather than
to the eh-hus completely verifying the theory Of Mons
Foucau The most prominent cape, projecting from the
continent into this sresm named by the Portuguese ad
who first attempted to make Roadway against il
Capo de Contes the Cape Of Currents Outward bound
ships always avoid il while those returning from the Eas,
dies always avail themselves of the fsvorins cd.
The influence of the earths rotation upon oceanic
TAIL the attention of Lieut. MAuRr, Of the
Washington Observatory. in the construction Of his wind
current charts.
FATAL ArrKAr IN GkoHerA.An a1isy occurred at East
Point sbout miles from Atlanta the l7h instant be-
tween young named LnoSARD RArERRxE and THos.
and Jonx CosHELLr in which Thomas received fatal stab
in Tho sirlonen MI has died broher John