Washington telegraph., 1855-12-05


tive power, heat producing motion, and mo-
tion heat
Heat is unduestionably power or an ac-
tive agent known to exist, and being the
subject of examination only in the act of
decomposing OF Of changing the texture or
s0lidity of substances or, in other words,
as an efficient cause of the change and
modification Of the elements around us
as confined, dormant, inactive something,
it is only creation of hypothesis 1t is
supposed thus to exist. without effect, mere
+ ly to account for Its actual exhibition-for
+ las occasional sensible action
( Thus the marks on rocks. as if once in
fusion, their general disrupted appearance,
! the upheaval Of mountain masses, the pour
( ing out of heat and fame by volcanoes, &c,
are supposed to indicate a dormant fire, an
inactive power, heat without combustion,
/ shut up in The interior Of the earth, compo-
sing sphere of molten fire of neatly 5000
miles in diameter, confined by an earth
crust Of less than 100 miles deep Is this
reasonable hypothesis? l. it not unsound
to explain volcanic action. the distorted rock
strata and earthquake tLroes, so minute
comparatively. by supposing a great sphere
of molten fire. a physical construction so
immense Is this not ridding philosophy of
/ a minor difficulty by the suppoSition of one
almost infinitely greater? Should we sup
pose, because heat and fame proceed from
an electromagnetic apparatus, and because
the power brought into action will melt
. twist and Perforate solid matter that the in
. terror of the apparatus is confined heat p
The thunder cloud does not contain central
heat yet the bolt from it will rend the
gnarled oak, fuse the mineral matter of the
earth, and throw down mountain tops. SO
the electricity of the earth, in It's transfers,
has bent and twisted rock strata, fused the
minerals of which they are composed, dis
tOrted the earth's surface, and at points of
more imperfect conduction shown itself in
heat and fame, as volcanic eruptions and
yet there is no fiery furnace as the reser-
voir OF this power.
There is one other ground for the belief
in the central heat /; tha, is, in boring the
earth for mining, &c., the heat regularly in
creases in proportion to the depth, and this
al a rate which, if continued, the substance
of the earth must be melted mass at less
than 100 miles from its surface. If this
increase of heat continues. before thou
sand miles were reached the fluid matter
would become gaseous, and then the gas at
the centre Of the earth would be rariGed to
almost perfect vacuum. In other words, if
the cosmical heat, in its increase down.
ward, meits the solid matter, still further
down. greater increase of the bulk of the
substance and remoteness Of its atoms
would take place; and at last there would
kn IL.
slve power, powerless, confined agent
without action. But gravitation, it is said,
counteracts the expansive power OF cosmi-
cal heat. BE it 50 and we have presented
to US an an,ag0n>m almost as powerful as is
supposed in the old question of the result of
an irresistible force meeting an i0lnsouabke
substance.
| am inclined to write one sentence fur
ther in this connexion, but omit it lest it
appear disrespectful to those who still hold
the hypothesis of central heat The read
er can supply the deficiency by the action
of his own mind
If we descend from the summit to the
base of u mountain, the temperature will
be found to be raised in proportion to the
descent. If in the valley the earth is min
cd, and we are able to descend below the
surface, the heat will he found still TO in
crease. That which causes the change from
the summit to the valley also causes the
change of temperature from the surface to
the bottom of the mine The former is
certainly not from the central heat, and con-
sequently the latter is also not from a Gcrv
furnace below. 1t is true the rate of in
crease of heat is different above and below
the earii,'s surface, but it will be relnem-
bered tlrat the capacity Of conducting hea:
differs in air and in earth
Look to the ocean. and consider that wa
ter conducts heat rapidly from its lower to
It's upper surface. The oceans surface is
not warmed by the cosmical fire and it is
generally admitted that the variations of
the temperature of its waters is not due or
in other words, does not proceed from sup
posed central heat.
Under the surface OF the earth, at vary
ing distances from it, according to the con-
ducting power of the material, there is
permanent and uniform temperature and
this temperature is the same as the mean
temperature of the atmosphere over the
place. Thus, at the place where the mean
temperature is below the freezing point,
there is found few fee. below the surface,
never melting frost, the soil permanently
frozen If, then. the central heat exists. it
has no influence whatever near the earth's
surface. or upon the atmosphere over it.
1t has been frankly admitted by learned
men that the proof of the existence of GEN.
trail heat is in itself insufficient, without ta-
king into account the necessity of its exist
ence, in order to explain earthquake and
volcanic phenomena. the apparent effects of
heat in the upraisng Of mountains, and in
7 tho distorted rock strata bearing the ap-
! pearance OF former fusion. The reply Is