The New York herald., 1851-08-29
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
FOR THE
a AN c K N MT OF sCIENC E
Albany Meeting.
FIFTH DAY-FRIDAY.


New members we're elected
The PRESIDENT announced the appointment OF
the members of the committee memoralizing
Congress furnish Professor Mitchell the means
required for the npletion OF his astronomical
apparatus, viz Professors Pierce, st. John,
Wilkes, Walker, Coffin, Baehe, W. B. Rogers,
Loomis, Maury, and Henry
The PRESIDENT remarked that, at the commence
uent Of this session. owing to the few papers pre-
sented, the meetings held in one room. Oa
Tuesday afternoon, two sections we're formed; on
Wednesday afternoon, three sections; and thu
morning there would be four; in all of which the
number Of papers to be read was thuty six; and
the papers for the afterno IN and tomorrow would
be still more numerous. The Standing Committee
had nominated, as the President for the next an
nual meeting, Professor B. Pierce, of Harvard.
Professor w. b. ROGERS begged leave to ex-
press his hearty appreciation of the nomna ii IN.
Professor Pierce was eminently entitled to the
honor, as one OF the distn gulshed of our
scientific country men. By his labors in original
research aud in the prepar alton Of excellent tex.
books, he had received, as he deserved, the repu-
taton OF one OF the most profound matthew ttici
In the world.
The nomination was unanimously confirmed.
In accOl dance with the generous invita.io from
Cleveland that city has been selected for the next
The Standing Committee had aot yet dete mined
to recommend any semi annual session.
Professor CAswELL reported a resolution which
had been adopted by the sectional meeting on me
Resolved, That this section approve entirely of
the modes OF testing aud graduating the thermo-
meter, and the arrangement and constitution OF
the barometer, and other meteorological instru
ments adopted by the Smithsonian Institution and
by the States Of New York aud Hassac cnusetts, and
explained by Professor Guyot
fln fha( (.nn nFutrf m NHtSn a a "A
Professors Caswel, Beck, VIM. Mitchell, Coffin
and LooMis.
Professor EMERsos suggested that it would be
we'll for the Standing Committee to confer With
the American Educational ASSOCIATION, nov in ses-
sion at Cleveland, so that their meetings wood not
be, in future, held upon the same week.
A very leng debate the suoJect OF the constitu-
tion now took pa and ON tue duties OF the Stani
ing Committee When finished, the meeting Sc
parated into four sec .ons as folioSs;-
SECTION I.-MATHEaATIcs AND PHYSICS.
i. On the Origin ot The Forms, aud me Present
Condition of the Clusters of Stars and hesolyaoie
Nebua; by Professor ). Alexander, of the Coliege
Of New Jersey.
2 On the Apparent Motions of Figures of Ger
tain Coors; by Professor Elias Looms 5, of the Uni
versity Of New York.
8 ON the Quan aty Of Rain at Different Heights
from Observations made at the Institution tor tas
Deaf and Dumb; by Professor Norris Of New ork
4 Proposal for Trigononetrical Survey o
New York; by Lieut. E. B. Hunt, Of the Corps o
Engineers
g. On the Proper Measure of Mechanical Force
by Professor ]. II. 9 Coffin, of layette College.
7. Case of the Tertiary kaiuoo~; by Charles
HarsweI Esq. Read by Edward Hitch ;ock, Jr.
:. Account Of a Meteor, seen on the night OF
October B. 1880; by Professor Broeklesby, Of Hart
ford.
Ofthese can only send you the following in my
present CON municatlon:-
on THE APPARENT MO orIoN OF CERTAIN CoLORED
FiGURES-BY PROF ELIAS LOOMS, or NEW YORK.
At the New Haven meeting OF the American
Association, described some experiments relating
TO the apparent motions OF red wVIsEed hgure upon
green x Ound, or a green sure upon a red ground
then stated that l had not oeen able 70 prod ace
the sane effect, ia a satsiactJry manner, with CO.
lored paper; and a member OF the Association
expressed the opinion that the pile Of tue wOrsted
was essentially connected with the paenomenon
Although had, at that time, performed some ex
periments which seemed Inconsistent Elh ne latte
view, still, as / had lot succeeded my satisfac
tion with certain materials, there was room for tn
suppositi0n that the nature VI the material nigh
have some connection with the paeaomenon. J
therefore resolved to peat the experiments unde
greater variety of circumstances. This have
since accomplished, and the following are some
my results
ETyoiment III first tried the experiment in
quostlsn with cotton thread. My earliest trials
succeeded very Inperiecty; but alter while,
obtained a cembinatIon Of red and green, and also,
a red aud blue, shich exhibited the phenomenon
vary nearly well the oest specimen Vt worsted.
am persuaded that my FIST failures we're due to
my not having obtained exactly the proper combi-
nation Ct cOlOrs The colvrs must be vi the ght
shade, and VI the requisite intensity; aud 1t IS more
difficult TO obtain these IN cotton tnaC IN worsted
Er1Sytneu Il next tried the experiment with
silk Here again my hrst att-npts but par
tally sKocessiul but a. ,e' 9Th obtained com bIna
tions of red ana efesD, also Of red and blue,
which exhibited I'd. pntnOmcnoh very handsomely,
though pcrhAps not a ate ~ well A. the worsted
The oifeTsnee ascnov ~ the colOrs not being per
fecy matched, and also to the lastre OF toe mate
al NH dsp llsA Al IN lI4le
Inc tHcyu 3 Il next ified the experiment with
colored morocco, ano su ;ceeded without DIN; ;ulty
The elect s;afcely, II al AL, Inferior 70 tnat
produced with wOrsted
Ey1.Tiueya Al next repeated my trials With
colOTed paper, and alter some pans taxing, OBTAIN
ed sptclnens Of red AID blue, a. also red and
greer, which eAhlbnea the efeUt quite as Well as
the ~Orsted. ! an SATISFIED that my former failures
were due entirely to ny not having been able 70
obtain ctlOfs Of the proper shade snd intensity
The coloS of paper as geheialJ cna, ssd ~ mos.va
ING It. ana many spvcl mems dO not sue seed az
ali II this experiment. when dry, succeeded perfectly
when mOsteLtd OF OILED .,
ETgr1rle,a II next tried the experiment with
the co.ors OF Latural objects, aud iVubd tnat the
rod of certain ayses cOtn OIaed win certain green
leaves exhibited the effect in question very Lahd-
someiy. The scarlet Hover VI sue Vefoine or yera-
nium cOmbinei wi,h the green leaves oi lettuce
succeeds beautifully. d td iOticcd ths enect win
geyets previous o. t3e meeting OF the Association
at New Haven.
The Professor then went on TO show that the
eject ~ ehtte1 tllANeut va su9 H@aSia@.o NH-
uloyed Color alOhe appears 70 be the essential
circumstance. PARTICULAR shade II cOiOr Is re
ounce. ana slsO CtftaiL tnteAsity
| arrived st the cOnsiuslou that tDe wavc-ltke mo-
tiOu when passes Ovvi a small rcd bgure, upon
green GROUND, when gently agisaled, u an elect OF
brilliant complI neut ,Iy UJioIs aud mas NO cvnnec
tion with the Iature o the ua1erial wth when .ne
color \ asseciated.
lie phsnomenou to be explained 10 the exper
ment OF .sdaIcIDg mce Is tnIs- neu green ns ure
or stripe is sorked uPon red sroIni, snd sns cAfd
gently sgitsted, shade VI hgnscr green appears W
spread over the whole bguie, aud OFeriaps ,ne sur
rounding red ground, "A red s'ripc upon a green
ground, when agitsteo, appesfs Ol hsn.er Iea On On
sacn margin a.tetuately, with a oeeP red wave Os
ctllat,uK Sa,k anu Iorth esch mO1On vi the card
Aiter some u stT stlOBs, the frVf,ssvr ave It as
bis oplmoD that the ed colof appears 70 exete the
retna more powerfully than the green, aHd Its ii-
pIessiUn is more Jul sDie.
sEcrIoN n-zooLooY AND BOTANY