The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-01-27

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Smithsonian Institution, Washington.
THE FIRST LECTURE or PROFESSOR RODGERS, OF
vIRc INA COLLEGE, ON ATMOSPHERE.
On Tuesday evening, Professor Rodgers CON-
mencsd very interesting and highly instructive
series Of lectures on the atmosphere. The day,
he said, had gone by when knowledge was confined
to favored few. Il is now freely and extensively
disseminated; we inhaie IL as part Of the lie Of
society, while the welfare and prosperity Of
civilized communities is increased and perpesusted
by its diffusion; and the mechanic Of the present
day. is in possession Of physical doctrines and truths.
that have been accumulated by wise men, and
which constitute the basis Of his investigations
And, II we compare tho acqviremensa OF the mere
SOCIOLOGY or mechaoic OF modern times, with that
of the wisess sages OF ancient Greece, Esw sUpe-
rior ID tho condition DC the former, with reference
co scientific and pnioso phical lives sigation. lie
referred to this ubject be said, in connection with
his own thoughts, on viewing the az dense before
him, ana rejecting upon the obiec. which
brough, them together, connected as 20 pre-
sumed it was, with the purpose Of the iusa.
tuition. IL is the characteristic, Of he present
day, that IN Inc munihcsnce Of their
hearts and warmth Of their generosity, no.
content with providing for the physical wants Of
their fellow creatures and their other interests
have devoted their own fortunes and time 10 the
higher aDd sublimer purpose Of cuitvatng the
mind, raisiog man from the position 10 Which he
was lied down, and enabling his spirit to soas
through the illintable universe on which he is
placed. There is he said, spark OF knowledge
that is elected in this way bot what becomes
dating point Of divergence There is l,nA that
connects enc portion OF physic u action with another
which has not further connection with the whole
! hIlH Of 10 Iefa~u frr
truth th is not connected with othors throughout
all futurity; aud as Toe countless stare that poru
late the he ssens aud roll In iDdGite space when
they SEND forth their light to other worlds. and
ceive back like messages III return, become related
to each other are the trnths 0! morals and the
deductions of science, like so many lights in cres
tion, all ukedto each other; aud it is only by COM
prehensve knowledge Of nature, that We understand
the position occupy In the series offend change.
Professor Rodgers, after having made some other
general remarks, invited tho attention Of his audi
once 70 the subject Of the lecture WHICH, although
IL might he deemed trite, would be found to have
important bearing; and he asked their attention
to a lew simple principles which although they
might be considered by many of those present as
Cob tanning repetition, yet he trusted would DO
AIDE attractive. And frst US to the phases of the
atmosphere; which i an almost invisible and i'm
palpable substance, that encrces .ne globe, resen-
bling vast ethereal ocean, to which he proposed to
alnde, in some its most i'm portantreiasions The
atmosphere is the great motive power of commerce,
and therefore the great agent in promoting civil-
zatien. 1t is the vehicle Of sound, and its pusstons
convey thought from soul to soul. II is tho medium
Of light and heat, and owing to its peculiar modf-
cations, fits and adapts them for the 0ene-
fcent activity which clothes The earth with
beauty. 1t is the receptacle of heat, electricity, and
magnetism-it operates on matter as well ms on
Temperature, and regulates elm ate II is the agent
through which evaporation takes place, by means
Of which waters are distilled and then again de-
scend in fertiliziog showers supplying streams and
deepening the channels Of rivers, that flow on, and
ultimately discharge themselves into the almost
illimitable ocean. It is the agent Of combustion
| and, lastly, it is essential to animal life Man,
without its presence, would perish and cease to
exist, for it is to air We owe our being, and to it
again. in part return. We have then one phase
of the atmosphere in animal life another in the
soil; another In the stem and branch of the
tree, dropping its luscious fruit another in
all that scars In the air or swiMs in the
sea, and in the breeze tina. waite the YES
sci across the distant ocean, guided aud directed
in her course by the dorEinan. power OF lordy
With reference to the mechanical attributes Of the
atmosphere, to which he should confue his expert.
with the Greek philosophers whether air possessed
any weight at all, and many pretended that such
not the fact. Weight is an ipoiien, ia ole to
Huctnate, while matter uldergoes change. A.
the foot Of MeuDt iin matter viii weigh more tlao
OF be summ,s, ont noI u par1,c.e - beer ioss
Then, stcthe Il aIeriuity Of the aiI matefiahsyis
that woioh Iesists pressure; and this Is what i5
meaot ny the Sern inettia Ia viii lot resist the
u
Jog ~ ource is ii ed from rihe il vii enc saptet
resistance equal to nearly eleven Youods; hence
there is uateris'itY IL cir 80: II cinnon all, Of
six and half inches diameter, Ia FREQ from a
canon, when at tbs distance Of fftoer Hundred
ieet. ). viii bave encounter resistance Q. more
thsh four thousand ouads, caused by .5e Gi.pla,e.
ucft at The atmosphere Thus, the ~ only re;
siss bodies WHEN il is in ssts Of inertia bu. wten
in action it, motion Is more or less varied Wien
the gentle zephyr is ielt ,he air IS moving slowly
aid almost imperceptiby bat shen ii becomes
more rapid IN s course, then ne have the teapes,
which prostrates all human power that ventures to
brave its Jury. Aristotle argnei tia. if tho atmo
sph are possesee weight. expressing the as from
g lea the1 bss, the laiter would weign logs than I,
did before; but he found il weighed the same.
Hence, be concluded that the atmosp hero had no
weight, and his testilnony was, in that age
deemed conclusive This experiment Prof Rodgers
repeated, using silk bag for tho purpose, and
with the same result. Bat d copper vessel,
from which the air was abs racted, and
which was suspended from the beam Of Il stuiyard,
when Teflled. was found TO have increased in
weight. Owing TO this quality Of The air. the at
mospheye which surrounds Us, exorts q pressure on
all points o. the globe proportiona.e 20 It's weight.
But the atmosphere possesses another quality that
is Of iplpsrtance-el elasticity; which ,s caused by
the pay ticles of which il Is composed, rspeng
each othcT, and separating with great force when
released from confinement; which properly, as also
that Of ponderosity, Prof Rodgers proved by ex-
perimente. And tRese he concluded with one,
by which he showed that water contains sGanSity
OF air, which is necessary 70 the existence vast
number of organized beings. This he effected by
Withdrawing the mir from tho upper part OK glass
vessel partly filed with water, when bubbles IN
stantly appeared at the surface, and which contn-
ued to rise until the air vas again introduced
It is owing 20 the elasticity and weight Of
cir. tha. tho atmosphere is bound down to the
eGrtb, in It's daily revolution ou is S1es, and
which accompanies tho Globe. whi'o traversng its
orbit round the sun. Then again, this atmospheric
ar penetrates all bodies, whether solid, auit or
ariform-animste or iDsninate possesses mutually
attractive and repulsye po gers, and a. rss before
stated, everywhere presses equally On bodies; so
that o drop OF water remains drop when it falls
on smooth surface portions Of ito particles FORM
ing the sides and top; and which s bound do IN by
the same force that binds the most adamantine
solid. Professor ROGERS then proceeded consider
the relation Of tho atmssphere to sound, whereby
vibTatory waves ere produced the extent Of watch
are dependent on tUe elasticity Of air These At
mospheric waves vary IN leagth-the lowest note
or n lisuD causing a wave Of fortv feet and tha