New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-01-27

~
ssesssrd milton pssks cubic inch Esoa of thss.
skells contain several drcrent kinds 81 ser aud each
OF ne httle ANNALS that Inhabited composed u
rnids snd sossis, organs Sna circulsfsons Ho" Tar
tten oeiow the rech Il conception u the n,inuieness
OF u!'nstes tcns Agsin sstruuoaos tell that the
heavens all 5 IN n,orion, the planets swing throsh
space end are seltrevolvena 4 revolution 81 too,
al the opposite extreme all l. in mosioo the atoms re
voiveSi ON state 20 stste no,hng Is rt The aron
further declares thai throaghthe actioa OF ysst
hostile forces, antgon1ns each other, seskins
and aceneriying force th-t the harmony sHl eternal
pefuanence Offhe celestial secured ehcr
Should bsS me the whole nee would
rush 10 ruin. So also upon the sarisce OF the earth
a pair of hostile forces are engaged which sntsyonxe
sni restrsin each oshcr--csch c1ngaerns ye, never
victorious The battlefield fthess forces a the a.nos
rhere and he and snza,!on, death AMI disorgsnixa
ton Sre the products 81 their RIA Tncee 'osce-
sutumstic fefa3using, end may, therefore, play
forever The lecturer remarked that II was proper
that Astronomy shoald come hrst Il seoords With the
historic order IL Is the oldest OF the sciences, snd cu-
minated the grsndest product ct the human rnd be-
'ore Chemistry wss born. Toe theo'y o. Srsvaaiion
preceded the atomic theory by hunred and tiny years
!; also sgrecs with the order vi the development OF the
human mind. AZ in the infancy OF an individual, 90 IN
the infancy OF the race The attention most srousy
attracted BY ohle,ts which powerfully unpress TIC
senses Hence The stsrs became early oh ects OF study
Il was with msiter and motion in the OBVIOUS aud visit
he Ssrect the relations OF OF matter that science
trst dear Twas isr later before men were prepared
"a the subef sses and procoader qualities
things II / hut recently tlat the systematic study
OF the Cccu and deeper qualities of matter has been
commenced. IL Is tbs which distinguishes modern
fiom sncient science. NJ loOmans proceeded to
mark tia, The history OF Electricity farnshes excel
lent irstTstion his truth. Ths sgegt although per
vadng al matter lies buried beneath the surface saa AZ
the ancients passed henclih the surface they
knew nothing Of /: They saew that smber and tie
lOgCstcne had the mysterious property of attracting
other substances Here the seeds OF science bur
there soil, en, nothing further was known tor
5oc0yoars But 10 the carly part o. the las: century
10 sgsin ~ Id
through the labor 81 Grey OF ENGLAND aud Da Fay Of
France. The latter philosopher published his researches
in 1881 In lio the Leyden jar was invented, by which
oSctcrcy may De accumulated aud Gled Cd IN charges
The next year Peer Coilnson. OF London sent Frank
lin Of Philadelphia then Al years OF age electri
cal apparatus. He had never before paid attention to
the subject Yet Ia hvc years in l55A 100 years ago
last June-he performed The boiest vt all scientific
permcuts and made the grsudest Of All scientific dis
cGver'es with his kite which hTgt established the ien
THY of hbtnRg and electricity end lead 10 the use cf
the lightning rod. In 1850 We have the discovery Of
Gayan NJ N lsOo the inVenton 81 the gsyanc battery
and in lsO1. wGen G&lvGnism wa but IL years old
Dayy II 20 reyoluiionise the vast science ot ehcm-
Try la ls2O Oerstead discovered elcctro magnetism
AmpeIes theory OF magnetic currents followed IN sin
tbs. Magnetic electricity and theunoelc,hicity
beth nov science followed Ia two years and the cleo
magnetic Telegraph OF Prof Morse IN u years. 10
patented in 1881, just 100 years from the publca
ton OF DU Fay's experiments This mmens. contrast
OF resalIs Is due to any superiority OF modern
ancert mind There is probably no more native
shiewdncss and sagaciiy now than then The ancient
mind moved in false direction; IL occupied itsef with
hyotes OF logic, rhetoric, delrctcs poetry oratory
End metaphysics and neg ciod the systematic study OF
external nature. The world had been oycrshsiowei
liz empires which rose aud fell In succession
Ct mythology and philosophy came and wen, one
sitter sno,hcr-ctes were built, ard their tounde
tons crumhlcd-thc pyraullds were built, AMI
their builders forgotten before men had learned
enough of the phys steal world to know that water run
ming 90 hill may be used OF notye power
Water mills Invented but 70 years before Chrls
How then could people be expected IA know anything
OF those more hidden and profound properties of matter
which were much lees apparent aud more difficult oil
detection. These oboryatiOne, said the lecturer ex
plain why Il Il hst the phs Tganlaon and the
relations of plants and animals the air were 30 lately
clucidGied and are stlll so generally unknown. For
Thousands of Yeas people have been pumping air la AMI
cut Of their sysems fm birth death necessarily yet
how few know why The present Of lectures will
be devoted % this question We shall have ~ tako
the mir to pieces 10 see what 1t Is made OF aud
inquire what the conditions Of It's STABILITY In com
poe ition Hrs II always been now, THIS inquiry
wifcary to the OF soils. We NUT ask abou,
the nature of vegetation, the production OF foods, the
changes they undergo in the kitchen how they become
pors of the anIna body, and what then becomes of
their elements All these points must be touched upon
before form any just idea of the uses Of AIR m
the human Oody Chemistry alone can give US this In
formation. Ply siology u nothing without chemistry 20
explain the nature OF the changes OF atoms that take
place within the body man la the course of single
year takes into his system 500 lb Of oxygen gas 1000
Thee react upon each other chemically in the system
and thus life Il perpetuaed Chemistry Is called duh
aud dry end II supposed to const In the explosion OF
gases and the exhibition OF pyrocc hnic
To thou htful person nothing have higher interest
Much Of It's dfyness 10 owing 10 the rcpurye manner in
which il Ia too often treatcd In other branches OF
study we aid Ourselves with pictures. Geography wss
a dIy and unpopular study until maps into use
The stusent must the thing representatives Of ~
We use pictures in Astronomy, Geology Anatomy, and
why not in Chemistry The lecturer then called alton
ton to a large and beautiful chart OF atomic CON.
binniions which gave great simplicity to the subject
lie then spoke OF the composition OF the atmosphere
and said that Ia stud Ing vegetable aud animal chems-
ny we constantly meet with the chemical sub
stencss which we ind Ia the ar THIS makes the whole
subject exceedingly simple The air Ii said TO extend
30 OF 10 miles high but this should msead us a. 10
IL quantity The atoms OF gssses repei each other;
they seem 10 hate each other, and would y ssundcr dit
using Themselves throughout all space, but for gravity
which attracts them down toward the surface OF thu
cSith. The force OF gravity dtninishes sscend
End therefore the particles Of air partially reIeed
rom its grasp and press further and further apart The
III y thinner rarer and ghter 20 up 30 IN order
10 know how much there IL, must reduce 10 all 10
The density Of that which breathe or the level of
The sea- IT, by any cause were pressed down ffomthe
top 20 rs 10 have uniform density, IL would be but
miles blgh-scrcely covering the tops VI tho highest
The lecturer then called attention 20
Iitrogensrs, which composes fourifths Of the air. is
leading property, he said, IL hesitaDey To enter Into
chemical union lt- attractions feeble. ssow 10
combine and quick 10 abandon It's c0mbinai0ns Gun
powder aud the explosive Eliminates contain MIRO
gen in solid combined state Ia exploding this
with other gases escapes into free gaseous condi
ion-giviDg riSe 10 mechanical force Nitrogen 10 an
slemeni Of foods and of the animal body nerves
es and lssues he,e are all prone ~ decay, owing 10
he reedness with which nitrogen escapes. Oxygen gas
which iCims one nth Of the air, H. In all respects the
Dppo'he Of nitrogen IT. attractions are powerfalsn1
L combines with great number Of substanccs-hold-
ng them rnily and thus forming stable eompounis II
combines energetcoy 10 produce light heat, and
M force "a al
that In burning combustible body IL destroys
L. end Il itself testroyedthst IL cobned-lost oxy
gen EghtBinths IL sll waters, oneuird VI all rocks
stones and SOIL and hall the weight OF AL living ami
ln6ls and plants consist OF combined oxygen gap-
200 lbs. OF oxygen combine with II lbs (ono bashs
Df cOsl, and generate sufficient mechanical power 10
mise eighty million pound. ioot high The meoaxn-
cal erect in this measures the Intensity Of the at
traction Of gwen quantity OF oxygen gns Tor proper
tomato qnsnhy Of carbon. Animals bresthetfs gas IT,
destroy hen It does the thing in the body thar
does elsewhere. II can DO bot thing and DE-
tToy In the production Of power the mechanism of the
tiS.t .ff suAs 49,