New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-09-12
THE SUN AND THE CONTINENTS.

To the Editor " The ". T. IrouHe
SIR: A letter appeared in yesterday TRIBUNE rom
DIR. C. F. Winslow of Troy, commenting on my letter
from Montreal, and impeaching the accuracy Of Mr..
Hills memory concerning his DIR. VS. scknowlsdg.
ing, in rapturous terms, Prof. Peirces discovery.
can only saw that this letter in The TRIBUNE furnishes
in itself conclusive proof of the accuracy of Mr.. Hls
statement and of the justness of the jusgmen. which
expressed in my letter, viz; that DR.. W. has made
terrible misstep ar :hievedn otorey at the expense
of his reputation. Read the following sentence tum
DR.. w. in yesterday TRlBuSE:
IL have objection to- Prof PIERCE adopting the epiau
and claiming IL og al with himself that solar heat has es
But that is the point at issue cue Here IS DR.. WINS
i0ac's srR admission Of the originality r'th Pear0
Ne only thing that tcGs erer published as Peiras.
Further down the Doctors letter he speaks OF cost
lines tangent TO great circles." 1t would puzzle
seven professors Of mathematics to understand ths
phrase,
DIR. Winslow published book in which he st.
tributes to the sun repusive force, which, a. tho
earth approaches her pehelon squeezes the lava out
of her. and squeezes up the continents. This is W.
tualy denying Newtons law OF gravity, and ~
accuracy Of all the incredibly careful and skiliu Oh
servations of astronomers and mathematcians for s
last l75 years. No mathematician could admit the
possibility of this &c law Of DIR. Window.
Prof. Peirce observed that the coast lines OF the
continents are tangent to the Arctic circle and OF
course nfers as any who sees the fact must insr,
that Inc e0dr ngnt neat, Qetormlnn8 unos
If capitalization, had determined the lines Of uphesyl
and the form of the continents. Hereupon DR.: Wins.
low makes the astounding assertion that this Is what
he had said; and, although the difference is made
plain TO him in my letter from Montreal he yet repeats
bis charges against PIERCE in this letter to The
TRIBUNE, and even descends to abusive language,
adding the charge of theft to that Of plagiarism.
suicidal course for DIR. Winslow to take. He
tain on Prof. Peirce's reputation among those who
grossly ignorant of physics and mathematics. Bet
very man who has the slightest knowledge of eithef
Of these branches WILL from the Doctors own letter 10
The TRIBUNE Of Sept see that bis charges are per-
fectly absurd.
Since writing the above, have read The Boston
Irdrer Of to-day. They are too skillful in the srs
Of an advocate to publish their clients letter. but they
ments OF their own. Allow me to present one quots-
ton made by The Trareler from DR.. Winslows letter
to the Rev. 7. Hill The Doctor rays:
do not know what Perce deductions from thi. nav
facts in terrestrial physcs."
"A nOnderfM discovery of series Of aeg facts
comes nearly up to Mr.. Hills account Of the Doctors
aeknowi!eSsi5g in rapturSus terms the go'ey snG
play upon words and two columns Of quirks cannos
make anything else of it. Moreover, The Trareer
itself intimates confession that these not the
most rspturous terms Of the letter. With regard To-
the main question of discovery, The Trareer says:
mountain ranges undoubtedly Prof Pierce first
Here is an acknowledgment by the advocate, Of the
utter worthessness of his clients claim and II would
not be judging The Trdpeler with hundredth part
the injustice with which that paper and DR.. Wnslow
Judge Prof PIERCE, II were 70 say, The Trareley
knows perfectly well that this is ridiculous and
- sbsuId attack Of DR.. w., most unjust and IN
" founded SANDER against righteous man; bat It
" humors DR.. Winslows folly and cIculates bis SIAN
ders merely to add to the piquancy and sssblsness
" OF the paper" The italics OF the word fact 10
meant by The Trarer to refer to the principles which
the tact illustrates As to that it s admitted that DR..
Winslow says the sun elevstes the continents. But
le does not say the sun determines their shapes.
Prof. L. says the sun determines the shapes Of the
continents, but denies that the sun eieystes them.
Moreover, the force that shapes them Pfof. r. snp-
poses to be solar heat while orSelevsfing them DE-
W. creates force which all Astronomical observation
shows cannot exist in the intensity requisite 70 produce
sensible effects. Concerning the stolen MSS. what
sort Of right has Prof WinslOw TO utter such FLANDERS
against Prof Peirce when that gentleman and Prof.
Lowering unite undertaking that Perce has never seen
nor touched Dr.Winslow's MSS. Moreover, none Of
put into the r hands. They judged and condemned il
rom having listened to It when the vss. Hall Of
Representatives rang with applause" or from hay-
pg read it in the public prints. Moreover in that
Judgment of the Publishing Committee Prof. PIERCE
did not VOTE his opinion was not asked since the
papers contained nothing mathematical. The MSS.
Of Dr. Wir.ow was returned to him just it came 10
me PubllsbiDg Committees hands. II be wants his
pissiDg pages, he would do better TO cesse making
railing accusations against Prof. PIERCE, and inquire
re reporters to rhOm he Entrusted his papers for
PaIhedf'on: For other infrDgemens on DIR. Winslows
tlghts az discovereY, l would refer him TO Richard
danken." 40
Boston, Sept p 1857.