New-York daily tribune., 1855-08-22

II "a curious 10 SEE b0@ the nHc3y of lo-s f.-ns.
vs,sas The theory Of La Place, that heavenly boiy
80, hs either nearly sphere or O disk and that t1e
latter must b. unstable. And this reminded froI'
Alexander again 10 slude % t5e earths nog-he 20
oiscs Light He had long been convinced that Ihe
Moon could po, be the only satellite thrown oh by our
nlsp,t iu taking on i's present form but know not
where 70 look for the rest. more careful Calculation
Of the data furnished by the Rev Mr Jones' had gwen
him for the diameter OF the ring 1900 miles, ana
tine Of about bsf day for rotation. And enriously
enoueh half dsy was the time that had been assigned
by a prpyous calculation for the revolution oi an
sroliie around the Earth
PARTIAL NuLrrPLIFRs OF DFTERESTfsL EQCAIioNs-
BT BENJAMIN PIERCE.
This paper furnished no reading matter.
Os erR SENSE IF the Vertical and Hori-oHfai, aa@
our Perception ef Di'taaces-By Lieut. t. b.
Hunt L. ). 4.
Continuous experience has made our sense Of ver-
teal and horizontal and Of distance matter OF un-
conscious mental action. The sense of gravtation
becomes very nice. In running rapidly down hill We
feel the diminished weight that res Is on the loot Inc
direction of gravitston Is probably derived from The
pressure of fluids in the body. These perceptions, un
aided by yiron, became so perfect In John Me'cau
knowp as Bind Jack TO enable him to lay ont new
and better roads over and about Derbyshne Feak.
Our firs estimates Of distance are made by using tue
space between the eyes az base OF t1angumuon'
NOnocuar vision must be very detective. Inc iOcus
of the Q, ia the pert ground of calculation these are
corrected by touch. Then dstinctness of outline ana
lastly the color of the atmosphere, are the creria oI
the widest distances. These, too, are corrected oy eN
perience Exec ptioI al show the truth OF these
laws Ii You view landscape with your head hoil-
zontal the interocular space being vertical all us
characters change, and you Judge bally OF tue dS-
taroe. In passing rapidly railroad curve you iorul
false uda men of the perpendicular, aud the ground
on the convex side depressed. IRON The Crows
Nest near West Point two reaches of the river can
be seen, separated by bill; the lower and further
-. ....., L. foot ohn
other. Joness Ill., hrce-quarters of a mile of gentle
slope from Tappan Sea, appears like high mountain
when fog comes half across the river, and forms
false horizon. boat surrounded by toS appears as
seated in a depression of the sea. The slze OF the
moon AT rising especially when seen from railroad
train through trees the fatteDed shape of the sky
dome are further Illustrations The size OF saturn
ring through telescope compared 70 ever tng g from
al fault when we have but eye to use and 10 data
10 correct our vision by.
CHEMISTRY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
DRscRIPTIOS OF A New APPARATUS for separating
Gold and other PreciOns Metals from Foreign
Substances BY +. \. KENT.
This apparatus has recently been put into operation
at the U. 5. Assay Office New-York, where Mr. Kent
ia melier and re1er The crushed earth and sand
frst put into hopper where there is apparatus for
removing the larger metallic particles, which by flat
tenipg under the mill generally IMPEDE the grinding to
n suficiept fneness to recover all the metal. That
which enters the mill il there acted upon by water that
at once carries most ei the earthly matter 10 the ANAL
gamaor but most of the gold remains at the bottom
of the mill from which II s taken and purlhed wuhOut
mercury All the ganyDe then, and but very ln le
of install is exposed TO the action OF mercury. THIS
seems 10 be the peculiarly of the invention, as the
cost of mercury and its effects on the health ore two
important ems in mining. In Mr.. kents apparatus
the amalgamator may be used entire week without
removing the mercury which being constantly covered
with wafer is exposed 10 no waste.
Mr.. SASDERsoN SMITH exhibited some very fine
crystaIzei Stag. On the crystals one might play
morris with microscope.
UNIFORM WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
Prof RAcHr, of the Committee on Weights and
Measures, said that the world seemed to be growing
rper and rper for the oaopton of uniform system.
At The Exhibition in England dis took definite FORM
and an association now being isvmed in England
for the purpose of producing such uniformity. While
NO -yaI~ -;..ituiins weights accoiiing TO the
British system they taking steps towarGe beer
one. There was also a committee on this uniiermtv
at the Pans Exhibition He would present the follow
ing resolution:
Rcsolrsd That the Committee on Weighs Measures and
Coinage be authorized TO communicate with other
OF permanent uno unity iu weisL .'' --'--o
A resolution that the ommittee be increased blythe
addition of DIR. Gibbons, w. B. Rogers J. L. Smith
and b. A. Gould was adopted, as well as the preced-
ing. But not until
! DIR. GIBBONS had endeavored TO separate coinsge
! from weights and measures. He urged that the mint
put to very great e1r TO stamp coins, which
were Immediately taken to Europe to be melted down
| The Association then divided into Sections.
In the Section of Geology,
| Mr.. JAMES HALL gave some account Of the geology
| Of Nebraska and the Mauca,se te,rsS. The country
on tie Upper Missouri River-Nebraska- said had
been known to us for many years. Until within a
few years pact our knowledge had been derived from
Lewis and Clark Nicolay, and some others. All
these had brought specimens from Nebraska, from
which we had learned that for great distance along
the Missouri River, beginning at the mouth Of the
Platte and extending several hundred miles norhery,
there a creaoeous formation the most prominent
fossils of which Ammonites and Baculites. All
had shown that this existed on largely developed
scale, but with the exception OF Nicoiay attempt
was made TO establish subdivisions. In ls47 we had
for the first time published notice of the existence of
extensive tertiary formation in that region given
by DIR. PIout of ST. Louis. This was, however, TO
the West of Missouri. Subsequently Mr.. Cubert-
son brought collections, and Dr. Owen direct
ed Mr.. Evans to make collections, from
which we had pretty good knowledge Of tertiary and
its mammalia. Mr.. Halls principal OBJECT in making
collections not 20 make discoveries of species,
but the investigations of DIR. Owen did not tell us
whether there were distinct formations not, and
moreover it seemed an important consideration that
the fora corresponding 10 the ancient fGrma should be
known. That was not accomplished by the expedi-
ton, but had details with regard to the
tertiary and eretaceous formations. In the neighbor
hood Of the mouth of the Platte the carbonerous form
alton terminated Passing up the Missouri we found
that the carboDiierous passed into cretacsous. At
their junction q sandstone, which might perhaps
be older than the cretaceOus. Upon il lay buf cal