New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-08-06
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE
ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.
THIRD DAY.
MORNING SESSION.
From Our Own Reporter. ,oro


The frs paper Of the Physical Section was ny tsl'
" Rogers, or the phenomena OF DInOiuar Visioh'
After showing that Sir David Brewsters expan4non
If png the points OF the cold body suecesslvey 10
orreropdpg points in the retina be showed that the
real EXPLANATION If wholly mental hc process OF the
ereoscope being one Of the association OF Iaeas $3.50
citation With previous sight; and Ordinary vision T.
partly process OF assocauon WIN renehVrah'eo -
The ideas received through touch.
lively conv matt, followed between Pgoi. rogers,
Capt Hunt and Prof. jos lie Conte all the spe1keT'
agreeing entirely with the views OF Prof X gers
Prof w II. Whitney of New-Ilayen 1850 pager
on the data and method of the Hindoo Astronomy re
bought il perfectly settled point that the hIndoos
derived their astronomy entirely from the Grssks a.
Ieriod not earlier than the ffs centuries OF the Ch
tan ira Blu they IndaLiZed the science, and calnel
for II an exaggerated antiquity in their own nature
TIE very admxture OF nonsense and truh petra! INC
action Of two sets of mhds-the Greeks snpplled me
science and TIE Hindoos the fable. They knew tnh
TIE earth sphere and yet disguised TINS kn2wi-
edge with fables of projecting poles. They dyidedh the
zodiac into - or IS lunar mansions, natural dVl1oh'
Of urtetiled origin thinking 1t Chinese but pos
nbly originating in Central Asia Tney also used the
luusolaT division into seye signs IRe procession OF
TIE equinoxes was recognized, aud the am unit "a4
slated with considerable accuracy. The planets sup
pofed revove about the earth, were named mytho-
logically. TIE day divided into "a hours only IN
Astronomy showing the Greek gin of the division, IA
tie Hin zoos divide the day into 30 psrts The mean
oDn Of planet s stated by saylng that r makes 40
many revolutions Ia great period OF 3OOOVO yea
Prof Whitney gave many other facts concerning the
HndoO astronomy but ackDo wledged that the interest
In these facts was much lessened BY the discovery that
the whole system is borrowed 30 fa rs true from the
Greeks and SO far or iua fancifu and worthless
There are records OF observations IN any OF the
Hisdoo literature and their astronomical knowledge Is
claim od 10 have been given by revelation.
Prof Henry being called upon for his paper on At
mcspherical electIicy replied that BY msunderstand.
ing between hmse If and the Committee he had read
his uaTer al Aaudneck Hall the previous evening. tie
hri,t iv the line
electrical phe omena Of the atmosphere due 10 ln-
duetion from the negatively electrified earth. Every
thu der cloud is vertical column of yapor spreading
into clouds above and below, the lower cloud pos
itiyely, the upper negatively.
After few moments conversation on this paper,
Prof. y. Sliman, jr read communication from Mr.
NJ. c. Lea the sources OF error IN the employ ment
OF Picrc Acid to detect the presence Of potash be
showed that this test cannot distinguish potash from
soda and from ammoda. Prof. ). also read paper OF
Mr. Les upon series of new compounds interesting 70
analytical chemists, which may be called ammonia
pcrates OF metallic bases.
Prof Sillinan then read paper of his own upon the
con bustiOn OF wet fuel Until a recent period the
combustion OF such material was uneconomical from
the loss Of heat rende ed latent IN the evapOrasn But
new form Of furnace tive or ak years old, by Nj.
Thompson enables to the vspOr from the fuel,
10 feed The fire instead OF air and to burn the hydrogen
thus set free in fire above the original hra. This
invention has proved of very great value in the barn.
i.g OF the crushed the plantation. The
operation of these furnaces was ius ratsd by dag
and lueidy explained by Prof. Siliuan. He MAI hm-
self burned in furnace New England peat con aiming
10 per of IL straDge thai such faoiil
lar chemical truths should have so long been
without practical application such now mas been
made, of such high economical value.
Prof Wolcott Gibbs and Prof +. n Horsford made
some remarks the theoretical saving of heat IN these
furnaces The peculiarly OF the furnace lies IN the
cutting off Of atmospheric air. As To the late period OF
the invention there had been many previous attempts
TO invent such furnaces but fing of practical sue
Cess.
Prof c. w Hackley of New-York offered paper
on theory of the soar spots. The OPENINGS u, the
sun 9 phOtOsphere produced by tbs bursting OF
eattic fuids which flow out with wonderful rapdity
far 10 the earth producing ch nges IN our tempe
ratuIe and producing the That the spots are
tie holes left by the bursting of bubbles he would
prove by the observation Of Mr. Dawes, a iacda
on the limb, followed by large macula. That great
variation ID temperature are produced by the passage
of uebulous after us he would prove by obser
vstions OF See,bi and Of himself From his own Jour
nal Of obsery atoms he endeavored 70 snow the proba
biity at auroTal clouds and prevailing epliencs had
a similar cotmical origin, and were connected with the
solar spots. Even meteor may have this origin. His
own Journal OF temperature and Julius Smith table
of solar sIots show a marked connection between the
two bat the reading Of the journal caused gradual
dimiIuton OF the number OF his hearers. Passing
again to theory he showed his reasons for suppo>ing
that tie corona in total eclipse is not solar
atmosphere bnt eonsrles Of Jets shoots OF elastic
matter from the sun, perhaps accompanied by solid
tongues in the The periodic increase of the
spos every eleventh year corresponds with onesixih
OF the anTOT period OF 66 wears. Even comets might
possibly be the nebuous matter thus elected from the
sur condo nsed into visible form.
Prof. Norton made some remarks, showing that DR..
Gould mathematical objections 10 the lunar origin Of
aeTolItes given ar the Springfield meeting, lie with
greater force against solar origin. After some
general conversation the subject adjourned 10
dinner.
After dinner, the only papers read were two short
ores The first by Cap. +. b. Hunt, upon a
portable cotrIdam for ing foundation under water;
the other by Dr. b. A. Gould, in bshalf of Dr. Small
wood OF Canada East, detailing his observations on the
recent eclipse and illustrated by photographs OF the
sur.
SECTION OF GEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
PTvf. " hitney i'll continuation of his paper the
lead region OF the West noted that the workable
VEINS rarely varied 10 degrees from east ard west
direction. Most marked by north and south
veins bot these were too Door be worked. He sup
poses that these fsgures occasoned to some
ten by shrDksge and the capitalization of the rock,
but that the direction determined by elevation
Of the country which produced watershed running
almost due and west. In conclusion he INDUCED IN
Speculation TO the deposition of the lead from
solution in ancient seas.
Prof Rogers could not understand how any con-
siderable body Of habtable water could contain any
considerable quantity Of salts OF lead In solution
Nn. =. Bake noted the occurrence Of lead and zinc
in Eastern TeDuess e. in very nearly the form in
which iead oecurs in the region described by Mr..
Nhllnty' IDty were tlhuar aisO 70 SILVER VEN III
South america, which be described, aud which, he
said, was evidently of igneous origin.
Col Foster thought the hypothesis that these lead
preciptattd from the ocean, rendered
somev hat probable by the paucty of animal life in the
lesdbearing strata while the imms dlaely above
and below were full of fossils.
Prof. AgsssiZ spoke the arrange ment of the 10
illogical Museum Cambridge. de said that this sub
eei seemed hardly worthy OF the attention of Society
Ike this and vet Museums were condition of the
progress of the lea rnng and country aud
their arrangement expressed the progress made. He,