New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-08-22

might be oopstrted into badge Of DISTINCTION buf be
hoped ne Local Committee would think over VIVA hs
bso ss,o He should be quite satisfied if they DID not
~ upon IT.
IL, tub. ct was referred 70 the Local Committee.
The PRFsIDFsr said that gentlemen who felt deslf-
Of parate table ~ould give in their tanes; TIC
bsd doubt but that the keeper of hotels wOuo o.
rar o. for separa'e tables for members.
The Astot alton then di sided into Secuona
SECTION OF PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS.
Prof PrrRcE. Pre-id.nt oi the Section, after tne
reaoing of the mil uf.s called Prot. CorFIS 10 Tue
c air and DR.. PHIKRs rad the rt paper before 'He
Section on a ,Ouet discovered by himself IN y 'Pe
1876 aid witch ia peculiarly int.re-tng nom Tue
htte of its period and it, extreme ia ntn's- "ueu
be n 1886 The difficulty OF computation ar-ee ~
the fact thst period of thirteen years Il to be dei
nil I'd rom the observations of only t~eoty dsys ou.
Dr. Peters bss computed ts expected places lfoli oo'
10 1850 and indicated upon chart the miis OF spfo
within which il i to be sought at any spec'n-d ,e
Abo'ler fficulty in lie computation arose Hou t'o
near approach Of the comet to the planet saturn ID tne
year 1883 but Dr. Peters has carefully compu'eo Tue
Irobab error and fiLds that the comet VIII no' NC
ont Of the field Of al orc mary cometseeker s~repue
over a line whose position he has accurately gwen.
The Doctor then spoke Of the peculiar value OF ,ue
Jeriooc comets, az showing the nature OF ,ne me-
taI etary spsces, and of The real service ~oicn au
ieurr NAV render TO astronomy by searching iOr nc"
teescopic comets. This wo,k cannot De undertaken
hy tbote wbo are occupied regular observations,
aid the comet medal Of the King OF Denmark was OF
great value in stimuatif resesrch by snateur. as
interest in science appears 10 be decreasing 10 EgoP
and increasing in America DR.. Peters hoped that
sin lar medal might be proposed here. .
DR.. HARE inquired if there were any new theories
or facts il regsro 10 the luminosity Of comets tais
DR.. PHTERs replied that be was not aware OF any'
DIR. GOULD wished to express his sense OF the gfati-
tude tue from astronomers TO DR.. Peters for his ser
wees in thee eleven years Of la upon the comet
ano espt ciay for the extreme be.uty OF the mrtho1
of seaich proposed by DR.. Peter, tots restricting OF
II ll..L4 81. M fhf
any cay TO narrow Lille. lie thought that The non
Appearance Of CERTAIN comets Of short PERIOD, might
aIise from variations in the luminosity OF thf comet
He econded cord ally the suggestion OF DE- feters, III
Iegsrc to the comet medal. The comet med. ~nlch
the Kng of Denmark, by the suggt sflOn OF Snu'
nacb.r hsd sw,roeo fUI many yehIs produced dls-
covtiy Of from five TO seven comets per annuh, VITA
three or four independent discoveries 10 tach comet
Before that there oDlv one year. aad SINCE th,I
medal was dscoI inued only two or three year are
Uncovered ard tbOse by only one ohcoveIer' MOTH
ing cou d mole concluslvely show the vaue OF 'he
m, dal, for when zach comet had three lncePeDuett
disc velers We might be that every visible comet
was seep. ard MI ht also be that every student
who had opportunity and taste for asu onomy, hsd
been drawn into actual work and by the pleasure OF
success would probably be induced to continue %
l6bOr in astronomy.
Dr. BRrSsow of Ann Arbor, Michigan, remarked
that the non appearance Of the two comets, whose
return he had cscuat,d d, might be accounted for on
account of being vl,be only IN the twilight, ana
the Other BEN exceedingly faint.
Prof SMALLwoOD of Ca, g Ia read the second paper,
upon the peculiar sppe .rance OF the atmosphere AZ
Montreal on the 23d day of May, ls56. An immense
fire in the woods sb ,ut $50 ui,s from MOotrea al
Pembroke, had sent up d cioud OF ashes and burned
leaves, which passed over b, clown. and at-rSard
hung over Monte s., covering the entire sky With the
exception of stp in the horizon cutting of the yell
low rsys light but not oimnh hing either the heat CT
acthism.
DR.. HARE made some remarks upon the electric
foIces which were pr baby efficient in causing this
peIsioI Of light substances for 70 long time the
air and upon the importance of paying more attenton
10 the meteorological effects Of .ctncity.
PIof SNALLwOoD adoed On account OF thunder
stern which followed this appearance of the cloud OF
Gshes at interval Of about twelve boursi and also
eaio be h4d Uncovered an lnvarable connection be-
tween the electric state of the air aud the form OF snow
1stas the crystals oeibg more elaborate when the
air 8ss Il, gstlve. This fact might posi- oily lead to
someibire Use FIJI in eltctrO-mefsllurgy.
Prot. HESRY, paying warm tioute to Prof. SIN ,l
woCos udustTy accuracy and zeal ADDED that he had
known al instance lsst Winter of ashes and erves
being carried thou ano miles in the Mississippi VAL
ley before falling 10 the earth.
Or. HARE wished some experiments might DO made
to determine ths agency Of conductive electricity IN
pr DUNG rain q ON fog.
The third paper wa- upcn Ammonia IN the Atrnos.
phee, by Prot. + \ lloRsFoRD. The presenc7 OF
ammonia has always been an interesting problem,
from the fact that it the OF ltrogen IN the
animal snd vegetable world. He had read paper
upon the ,ubject before the New Haven meeting, and
about TO confess the OF that paper and
TO slow how he had been led into them, namely, by
n.ing asbestos all absorbent, which had Tot pre-
viOusy b, en- freed fom ammonia which It might
have Already absorbed, from having been used IN
previous experiments. On rexsmnanpn 81 the
problem aid repetition OF the experiment.. 1t was
fuunG that many precautions and modltc stloDs
necessay in order TO secure more perfect acca-
acy; the exceeding delicacy Of the measurements
qulm more are ttsp is usual in qusntitave anay.
sis. Eight determinations with this Renewed care
hat a. III n
tepths # a millegramme OF ammonia.
Dr.. HARE then remarked upon the value Of ammo
nia md raid that he who could devise means OF con
veIiDg the nitrogen Of the air into ammonia would do
more than he who should discover the philosophers
stoe. He expressed the hope that the process OF
pIooucii & aluminium and soddm would lead to mode
of making cyabde OF sodium whlca would really
yield ammonia fer the use Of farmers. lie gave an
scct mt Of his attempt To induce the Corporation OF
New York his procs for converting the night
soi Of tie cry into mature.
Prof. UORsFOKD III re- sly to inquuies said that he
10 longer tbougrt there was any connection between
the oil, elton OF the wind and the amount OF ammonia
IN the air.
Prof. SnALLwooD, who read the fouith paper,
opened with tribute of respect TO Professors Cofo
ard Mauy, for their contributions to meteor,iogy.
lie then lassed 10 description of new aDem0m ter,
ooficsoS Of previous existing instruments, which
ecOIds by seel point on psper the veiOcly OF WIND
Nil pei hour, aha the times q. which the veociy
changes at the some moment ard by connected simple
machinery, ec'roiDg the direction. IL registers
storms of ~ or 80 lies hour and gentle of
holt nile AID has been for twelve Year, With
cut the heeo of repair.
Piof. c. F. Mccoy read the fifth paper, on the Law
of human mortality, Illustrating il by curve in
which the aye Is the abscirss and the number living
tue ordnste After pointing ou the errors OF tle las.
popoed by earlier iIquiiers, he propo ed law OF hs
own, by which the RATIO of the number Of the living
TO the oyiIg represented by one formula from the
see OF twenty upward Although founded on an ex-
an nation of the Nor hampton and Carlisle tab rs. 1t
is found to agree very accurately never varying
years moItaty), with al the tables 10 which be had
Lad access eli bracng the tables used In any of lac
standard works on life insurance. The cJrolaries
which are to be crawn from Bis sIe that TIE rate
Of mortality invariably accelerates from manhood to
oo age ana thai there no clmaIes, either favor
abe or ubfavurabe, IN the average course Of mans
sge Moreover, bis Law holds for all places and