Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-05-03

A
waters Of the ocean, and from Goals and other known
fuels Indeed, eight years ago presented this pre-
else idea TO the then President Of the United States he
doubtless remembers saying to him at the time that be,
in all probability, would live the philosophical concep
ton realized Without unforeseen accident have but
little doubt that at least shall live it. and not only
this, but in the second place. expect TO behold combine
ton Of the electrical principle and the principle caloc pro-
ducing rapid proPuson both by and land than
any have yet known and in the third place. shall see
the atmosphere made act substitute for steam hough
not perhaps its abandonment) in navigation (
and in the fourth place, the air itself navgated with much
navigate the waters. say arrive at these
conclusions by extending the process Of logical deduction from
facts and principles already known and in view Of such re-
Suits feel if the limits Of this planetary sphere were be-
coming and contracted for the full display Of mans
unfolding intellect for the electrical agent has
robbed space and time of all meaning annihang alike the
extent Of the first and the duration Of the last
1t unquestonaby true, that although the human mind
has been operating under many mistaken impressions as to
the true principles Of science although has lsbored under
the deluson that there many original elemen
iay bodies and drawn positive distinctions the hand
between weight and gravity, and cohesion and affinity and
acnis and attraction, and electricity and magnetism and
the other hand between expansion and evaporation, and
combustion and fusion, and repulson and caloc although
has made light distinctive principle and not combination,
really although it has supposed cold to be but the
absence Of heat and ghness but the mere absence Of
weights although has reasoned if the electrical agent
manifested distinct properties and in itself duality
has scarcely considered tho character of calor and
has confounded but too oen the only original and ndepen
dent forces Of nature sometimes mistaken the for the
othe and sometimes substituting effect for the cause, by
which shosghedness has frequently been led to adopt the
l - - -f-1
this jumbe Of idea and conception, has
pished and is accomplishing much, the result Of few
happy premises deduced from detailed experiment Health
and the arts and agriculture have all been thus
promoted and expanded The application Of the electrical
agent analytical purposes has established the science of
chemistry widely useful in every department Of life, upon
broad and basis and through the nstrumentaiy of
caoc the wilderness has been peoped and the ultimate ends
| Of the earth redeemed.
But what have yet accomplished, what may
sonaby hope achieve the direct deduction from prnc
pies known-though mentioned above they appear start
ling and giganic-n comparison with those reazaons which
shall follow the rendng Of the veil Of mystery and Of doubt
in these respecs When the intellect of shall to
look in nature for miraculous phantoms, in order to crafty its
craving curiosity but shall come to learn that her plan
simple her simple; when shall come to ap-
peciate those two great ndvisbe and unaerabe lines Of
original principle and force through whose nsrumentaty
alone has been generated all the forms and structure Of the
material world organic inorganic, animal, vegetable,
mineral and all the notions external INTERNAL Of the hea
veny bodies when shall be taught to note and to
derstand the hand the principle which ruled chaos
in the beginning, and the other hand the spirit which
walked the spirit of God upon the waters separating those
below the armament from those above the 6rmament and
producing order out Of confusion when in other and per-
haps sentenous words but still words of the
port we shall be filed with the knowledge Of the unadoned
though majestic truth, that the Creator, through simple
trinity of material causeviz. caloc repulsion, eecti-
city attraction, and maturity the mother Of atoms-has
consummated his mighty conception that he has thus ge-
nerated motion and light concomany, and hrough motion
made change infinite in time, in space, in FORM in substance
and in property and through light furnished the pabuun
Of life and clothed the infant universe in robes glorious
far than those in which Solomon stood arrayed though
in Tyre and dyed in royal purpe-a that have
comphed those volumnous works of science under which
the shelves OF libraries made groan, will be
bered for the most part with the musy lore Of the ssooge
and the alchemi being little worth except explain
the curious the earlier gropngs Of mind and those mighty
works Of which loudly boast, beleving
that have become gods, will sink into insgnfcance
and be remembered only stepping oer and
ennobing heights Of mental triumph.
pretend neither prophesy to unusual sagacy,
mechanical skill, but investigation from the time of my
boyhood running period Of fifteen years,
has led the conviction that must become convinced
that the whole system of nature has been educed from the
combined action primary causes-to active and
passipe.
That Of the two active principles altogether attrac-
tue and the other altogether repulsiue in its action.
That the attractive principle due and synonymous
with electricity
That the repusve principle due to and synonymous with
calorc.
That cod and contraction and cohesion, and affinity and
weight and gravity, all in the continuous resulting at
trnctiye line.
That heat and expansion and evaporaton and combus-
ton, and fusion, and repuson all in the continuous
sulting yepulsive line.
That these two active principles eternay combining
with maturity the passive principle, under similar rules
those set forth in the theory that of Volumes and
thus have generated and generating ceaseess and inf
mite progression Of substance and Of form.
That equilibrium the resulting law Of this
bnaon to which each and every action tends and attraction
or repuson, one or the other either may rredomnae the
constant concoman effect Of change in substance and FORM
That when the attractive and repusve principles
tepoed in the passive the substance and form becomes fixed
and held in positive suspension in other words has
reached the point Of equilibrium
That under the prevalence of either the attractive repuI
sve principle the substance and form loses xedness Of
character, and assumes equilibrium, and consequently,
character at the point where the counepose Of force