New-York daily tribune., 1851-07-12
SCIENCE.
u.~ Discoveries and Improvements.
Prepared for The Tribune.J

tLiSp@tS1 AS' hS AAsS">s~''
Tur IsrHNUs OF SuEz.-AB interesting
x;sru.sion on the Topography Of the lsthmns OF
suez. has lately occurred in the London lnstItu-
t,op of Civil Engineers, the occasion being pa
per on that subject IN connection with the An
cieut Canals Of Egypt, by Mr. Joseph Glynn, ~
r II appears from recent levelings and caTeiui
examination, that the levels of water IN the Red
Sea and tue Mediterranean are identical, and
therefore that the project OF VI. lie Pere, ior a
Lne of Canals 10 continue open during elght
months Of the year. being based on presumed
difference OF upwards OF thirty feet between the
seas, is not feasible. The error IN the levels
computed by lie PeTe may be accounted Tor by
the fact OF the work being executed under the or
ders Of Napoleon, during the campaign in Egypt,
a period OF war of the most hanassing descnp-
tion The ridge now existing at the end OF the
Red Sea. toward the Bitter Lakes Is found to
CONSIST of Tertiary Strata, the fossels OF which
are identical with those Of the London BASIN ana
the hil! of Montmartre, Paris and has no douo'
resulted from geological upneavai winch 5r 1rla.
terially changed the features OF the district ne
cone,r,c,ion of canal TO connect the Ned sea
and the Mediterranean, is still considered practl-
cable.
THERMAL WATERS OF ASIA MINQR-
There are few countries where lhermai "ateis
are so numerous and cover so extensive sur
face as in Western Asia Minor. An interesting
communication by Dr. J. Lawrence Smith OF
the University of Louisiana, gives detalied ue-
.cription of the several springs of that region
OF the Sulphur waters there are TWO sources
near Broosa, named Kukurtlu and bademll-
Ragbtscbe. OF the Alkaline, three were exam
ned hv DR.. Smith-vlz the Kara Mustapha,
Tschekmghe and Gueuzayasma. The following
are analyses of some Of these waters
CIV Ea,o Uustopha Tsehekrghe
Carbonic acid, Free lod Carbonc acid tree oa,
Carbonic acid, fixed $50 Caroonc aclo; hAeu-- "a
SuIphuric acid. -O6s Snlphurc acld-
Chlorine .005l Chlorine e-------udce
Soda 1872 Soda
Lime -.---------- 80 'i' ,,'i'i' ,r.co
Magne sia trace Magnesla-- -Ifdce
S,lica trace Iron -------------- -udco
Organic matter, not estl- organic matter .a ho1 81
mated hateu'
These waters are i'm great repute in Turkey,
and their effects are saId TO be most marked IN
chronic affections, and IN diseases OF the SKIN
and eyes
K,RKwoop's ANALoGY.-A controversy
has sprung up between Prof. LOOMS OF the Cni-
yersity of New York, and Mr.. Daniel Klrkwood,
regarding the law OF the Rotation of the Primary
Planets, which was recently illustrated by Nh k
and is now known among scientific men as
"Kirkwood's Analogy" In the March number
OF the American Journal Of Science and Arts,
Prof LoOmis publishes an article calling IN queS-
tion the truth of the discovery and assigning his
reasons lot WftnHOlulne uHcNht W INV WV
as follows
/. That it gives an improbable period of ro,a-
iion to Uranus.
H. That the mass, distance and time OF rOta-
ton of the original planet between Mars and Ju-
piter, as determined by the law IN question, are
lnadmisslble.
iii. That the values OF the rotation constant
for Mars Jupiter and Saturn, are not identical;
and
Finally, that the law is Incompatible with
certain analopies found 10 exist between the
different members OF our planetary system
Mr. Kirkwood replies, in the May number, that
Uranuss time of rotation has never been meas
ured and that his formula harmonizes with the
known elements OF the Solar System as exactly
az even recent determinations Of the masses OF
the planets by different astronomers agree with
each other There are then at least seventeen
independent variable quantities which harnonlzc
together in complicated formula--viz the
distances and masses of Mercury, Venus, the
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, and the
perlod of rotation of Venus, the Earth and
Saturn.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE MAMMOTH CAVE
The MAY number of Sillimans Journal contains
An interesting account Of the Mammoth Cave, IN
a letter addressed 60 Prof Guyot by Prof BENZ
SIrI1NAy. Jr., who has recently made an explo-
ration of it's mysteries and also, IN connection
with Mr. r. N Manteli, made collection OF the
animals found there. One atmospheric pheno-
menon attracted the attention OF these gentle
men, and tasked their ingenuity for satisiac-
tory explanation, viz The blast of cool air
blowing outward from the mouth OF the Cave,
which renders II nearly impossible 10 enter with
n lighted lamp Ii the external air has tempe
rature of 900 'Fahr., the blast amounts TO gale
but If the air without has temperature oil oy-
COO, no current is observed and the flame OF
lamp held in a favorable position indicates none.
II immediately occurred to me (said Prof Sill
mani that there must be two currents one above
of warmer air, passing inward, and one below OF
colder air passing outward, and the reverse; but
experiment soon satisfied me that this was not
the case Only one current could he discovered,
and on inquiry of our intelligent guide, found
that this phenomenon had attracted his attention,
and that he was satisfied from many observa'
tons that only one current existed, and that this
fared out when the external air was above 60',
and ,amard when this was below 6O0
The phenomenon is accounted Tor by Prot Sill
llman or scientific principles, as follows The
mouth OF the cave is the only communication
between the external air and the vast labyrinth
Of galleries and avenues which stretch away Tor
many miles in the solid limestone. The ar IN
these underground excavations Is pure aud eN-
hierating, which may, In part, be accounted for
by the nitre beds OF incredible extent, as the nj
trogen which is consumed IN the formation OF the
nitrate OF lime must have It's proportion OF free
oxygen disengaged, thus enriching this subterra-
mean atmosphere with a larger portion OF the eX-
hierating principle. The temperature OF the
cave is uniformly 500, Summer and Winter, and
this is probably very near to the annual mean of
The external air The expansion which accom-
panies an elevation OF temperature IN the outer
air is Immediately felt by the denser air OF
the cave, and 1t flows out IN obedience 10 the
law OF motion IN funds, and the outward cur
rent continues without interruption as long
the outer air is possessed OF higher temperature
than the cave.
The phenomena of life within the cave are
comparatively few but interesting. There are
several insects, the largest of which Is sort OF
cricket, with enormously long antennG. There