New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-10

IDEAS assumsd thst the center OF ths eatu nun,
that The crust h)ss upon snrSre, an1 II suosc1 -
the laws of hosine bodies. I1e Laws sad cOn1rl'-s
uDder which this crust cooled and - state ,en SGAat
fed were then folly and scisrtihcgly expl.ins1 a.
length tending 20 coDfrm previous sbd getsftLy "5
ee,,ed theories a. to the a,diy of the oeDLAl sss
This theory would Satisfactorily sceourt ior Inc eisn-
button Of volcanoes if no. for the phenomena de al
mitted tina. volcanoes were tie moe, difficult OF expa,
nation u all the igneous phenoneus IN nature, ana
although gsses and vGpors probably one cause OF
the eruptiOns yet be though, lev physice geollsss
would admit toe Iocel pressure Of gas a. the ouy or
even the chief cause The great general eause, be
thought might be the reaction Of the crust upon the
interior aud and gave his reasons therefor A. sny
rate the disruption Of the crust should take place "a the
thnnest psr, the bottom Of the sea- aud the Lert
place should be the next weakest part or the margins
Of the sea ind these exactly toe places where the
volcapo4 occur. OF 225 active volcanoes gwen oy
Humboldt l55 situated upon Islands IN the oceso
and Of the remaining 20 almost the whole are st1ael
near the seashOre while bat very few ale foani q ths
interior Of continents.
Mr.. J. u. WHIrsEy. this morning, read q paper by
Mr. Charles Whtlesey, giving theory o, the fo'Ini-
ton Of the Azon rocks of Michigan and "isconsin
Prof. j. II. McCHEsNEY gave paper upon ths wan
Of conformity Of the upper catDonteIoas !och- VI
Illinois with the older members OF the PalcozOc sys-
TEN, which called out some remarks from Mr.. W1r'
then developing The fact that the vast tract whlch
had been marked on our maps as the limos coal
fields contains coal only in portions sone OF when, l.
has been found by deep bOrngs are not very iarse'
Mr.. WORTHES also exhibited come very tne -peci-
mems Of land plants found in the mountain Aes-oLe,
uno Ell the millstOIe git IN Illinois.
Mr.. j. +. LESLEY considered this dscoveryo De Of
gre at importance tending 10 complete the series OF
rocks observed all the coal.feds Of the States
In answer to a question from Prof. Hail. NJ Lesley
stated that he did not consider thai the parseism be-
tween the strata OF ln Dis and OF the Eastern states
had been estabshed he thought hat this was one step
toward it.
Mr. j.. ID. WHITSEY gave his theory Of the dsposi-
ton of the sandstone Of the Connecticut Valley He
thinks it vas deposited by a current flowing IN en-
easterly direction. Il considerably cntlcseo out
most OF those who spoke on II inclined 10 the OPINION
that the strata were deposited 10 inclined POSITION
and the cracks seen on il were made while IN tnat
position. ,.r.t.
Mr. Il. SrERRY HUST gave chemical theory OF the
formation Of DOlOmc rocks by the reaction between
the bearbona,e OF lime and tine su phase OF magness
He had found organic remains IN thes rocks 10 great
variety.
Nv Wu F. BLAKE described a remark sble vein Of
gold in the bed OF the Chesta'ee River Georgia, where
600 had been taken from bushe OF quartz, ana eA
hbited some specimens.
Mr. CHAs. H. IiITcHCocK read a psper on the So
called acose schist of Vermont, showing that IL hsi
no tale in it. He exhibited specimens from VARIOUS
localities.
MATHENATICs.
Prof SrEARSs, of the University OF Mississippi, in
the chair
IMr. G. S. LYMAN last evening made some obsery-
atoms on the ease with which transit instrument mag
be nsed for zenith Telescope IN making observations
for latitude by what is kDown as Talcotts methoi-
which gave rise TO a brief conversation between
MsssIs CoFFIN, CH,UvESET, and PETERS. Lieut..
TRowBRIDGE thought MIR. Lymans suggestion par.
ticularly valuable tor parties OF e1plora'lon NC AL
that is necessary s to put more sensitive eVei upon
the transit instrument, ana adapt II 10 mcrometeI,
working vertically. Papers were also read by Prof..
Jas, III. CoFfIN, on Winds Of the Southern Hens'
phere; by Dr. BURNAP, on the Narstlon of the Sea
sons; and the atomic weight of Llthum, by fro'.
j. w. MALLETl
prof JosEpH LIE CoNTe read psper on the correl-
at;o Of phy and
Dr. Caiper paper in Phil. Trans FOR 1897 he pro-
ceeded without much preface 10 the exposition OF MS
own We've. He treated all nature as lylog on iodr
planes the elementary, the mineral the Vegetable ana
the animal kingdoms. To bring matter out OF one
plane into the next higher requires peculiar force;
ard the falling by decomposition Of given quantity
Of matter from one place to the next plane oeIS se
free given quantity OF that peculiar force: that IL
quantity of force sufficient 10 raise an equa! quantity
of matter ont of that lower plane into che higher
From this illustration OF the principle OF conservation
of force he proceeded to give his views OF the process
of vegetation and Of the sources of the power which
creates changes and organizes the world not
only in its normal condition but in liz blanched forms
He referred to recent experiments OF Rlser whcn Coz
rmed the views Of De Ssussure aud disproved those
of Liebg cor corning the value OF soluble hunus IN
mapures. Muller is also explicit 10 the elect that
plants are capable of using directly organic manure
Professor Leconte from these facts and many others
admitted by experimental Psychologists developed his
views of the correlation of thoTauous forces O hgnt
ard heat to chemical force and to the vital ilrces OF
the plant. He next passed to the animal knsdon ana
the gu. elton of the development OF the forces
in the Matching egg, and also in the body TED by FOOD
lie showed the necessity for highly kanlzed food for
animals that by its fall toto the lower plane 1t might
set free sufficient force for growth, and for muscular
and nervous activity. He thought that non-nrogen-
GUS food is not is usually stated, merely OF use 20
keep mp the heat but that Il Is an additional source OF
force for growth aud actionhe principal source beng
in the decomposition of the animal own tissues Here
is good distinction between the vegetable and ANNA!
world that up is own tissue N the develop
meIt Of lis force-the other does MOI. He closed by
showing that the modern idea Of the correlation Of
physical and vital forces does not IN the eas. coun-
tenance the doctrine of equvocal generation.
Prof. HENRY stated that he had been for twelve
years studying this question, and was glad 70 tnd so
many If his views confirmed by Prof Lec0ntes indie.
pencen thought lie then suggested that vital force
should be called rather vital principle the vital force
as il has 10 correative equivalents. The reader OF
The TRIBUNE is referred TO Prof. Henry paper on
meteoroogy in the last Patent Office Agricultural Re-
polt- He considered this paper OF Lecontes very
valuable contribution TO science.
Prof ALEXANDER objected to certain phrases in the
paper which implied that any of the present iaws 0;
force were q pri0rl necessary. Prof. Leconte DIS
claimed the intention of making such an implication.
Prof 4. ID. BACHE read paper by Geo Totem on
the sudden disappearance of Ice In our
Lakes. The fragments which remain show that tue
ice is usually broken into small prisms, perpendicular
TO the surface Of the Lske separated from each other
by the action Of waves, and then dss olved. Al OBJ
of fresh water ice are aSare OF the tendency
OF Ice 10 assume lhs FORM toNsIu bSi Gnu 1uo PV
cess is doubtless similar 10 the Ingenious experiments
OF Daniel, by which he deveopesthe crystalline struc
ture of apparently amorphous masses.
Prof. HENRY remarked that he had eNperimentaly
proved the crystalline structure of Ice - follow the
law assumed by Gen. Token.
Prof. Il. SIiIINAN, IT,, remarked that in al in
in nature, and in the laboratory, crystals run
perpendicular TO the cooling surface.
Prof Looms suggested the value Of thermomeirca
observations the air and the water et the time OF
the ice breaking up.
Prof. ALENANDER read q paper on the evidence
that the as eroids We're produced bv the disruption o