New-York daily tribune., 1863-09-12

kinds of matter; that which responded 10 gravity,
or goq1frotema,c Ter: and ;ha; which had 10 weight,
as eat. Eslt macIctfm and electricity vhieh were
.hc.c.ofc known ae the ,7p,ndcrGJlls. Light was
rorr,lcd As formed hv material particles; electricity
and magnc ism a. consisting o. electric and mas
netic fluids and Lea, as consisting =: sable fi.id
called aloric. The idea IS tie as that which
a hundred yeaIs aso ascT.Jod combustion 10 aD
ethereal iuid oa,od phiogisi5H Caioric was held
to be stored up in the pores of ordinary bodies
Which held more or less Of il according 10 then
several co1qcf'ls These material theories of force
lave done good service il times Iasi, but they 10
ongcr represent the state OF thought or serve the
yxrposc Of invest cation; in fact they have become
hint. Il 70 inquiry.
Mater 1alergoes change of place and form. II
Wa ass Ned tnai l1ids occasion Il csc effects, but
il has tceE demonstrated that these causes are
wholly insufficient Having rejected ;he lotion OF
eytIaneous hypothetical fu.ds, We are led 10 looA
urol forces as end0wmorts Of matter itse.f-as m
he1eat activities, or simply nod's cf mot'oH. The
phenomena of elecinci,y and magnetism are at
uibu,cd to polar forces which depend nlon states
and movements Of the ultimate atoms. So light
as projected particles, but as motions pTopasaed in
tie manner Of waves or undnla,ions, either throseh
ordinary matter, or en- ethereal medium. Heat,
likewise, whom We scan il closely is perceived
to be not matter, but motion. Us general and nost
marked effect is expansion. Bat if body expand,
il is bcceuse Its atoms have m0ted and thus heat Is
resolved into atomic motion or vibrations. IL las
long been known that friction and percussion pro-
ducc heat, but the caloric hypothesis has not been
able 10 explain the phenomena. lis nssump'iog
Lat the heat pre-cXi'tcd in the substance 'n TIE
latent state and became sensible by fic,on - go.
iuitous and demonstsa,ly false. Doyy rubbed iTo
pc ccs Of ice together IL a vacuum below the Ieezs
ing point and melted thcm BY friction. BAT as
there was twice as much heat in the resulting water
as in the ice is obvious that the former ooald roi
have come from the latter.
Ilenew view OF Heat or as IL is called, the fyHa-
nae or mechanical theory, teaches that whenevei
mechanical motion is arrested. heat is the in
variable result, and that the amount Of heat pro-
produced is in exact proportion TO the mechanical
force destroyed. II ailirns hat whenever moving
body is stopped by friction or percussion, the mo-
ton does not really cease, but is, as II were,
infinitely subdiyided and communicated TO the con-
sti,ucnt atoms of the body, increasing tAer vbra-
tons and appearing as heet. Heat, as is constantly
seen In the case Of tie steam-cnginc, IS changed
into mechanical force, and oil mechanical
forco nav be changed back again into
heat. Mechanical force and hea. are thus
mutually convertible The other forces are
also mutually convertible In the same way.
Being al only modes Of motion, they are Of KIN
drcd nature each being capable Of losing its form
and assuming that Of anotho-. Ihis capab.liiy q
mutual conversion is known g. tie CofIclauon u
Forces. But II las also been demonstrated LAT
force cannot be anaileiod II may change form as
II i. constantly doing in nature but the total qran'
titv remains fixed. An impulse oi force Can be no
more anrihia,cd than particle Of matter. HIS is
known a. the Conservation Of tofcc pronounced BY
Faraday 20 bo the highest law Ia physical sclcnec
20 which tho human mind has yet attained.
Tie modern view Of heat, which may nos ho
looked upon as osiahlisAed VAS clearly h-n1cd
a, lv Bacon and Lobe, and Is DO new Ting. l.
was definitely announced aid eIfcrmoniaily con-
6uued two generations aro by our coun,Uman,
Count Rumfofd llo rcyol'od a bras oannon
a,,aius, steel borer by hono-poWoF ard generated
heat enough BY friction 20 raise ls' lbs. OF water
from o. 70 IL in two hours and haf He
saw that tie amount of hea, dcpcrfed rpon ~
farce spenf. and was hence inoIhausublei and eI'
plic.tly rejecting the idea Of an igncous fuid be
saws: 1T is extremely difficult Il not quite impo's
Bio 10 nrm auy distinct idea Of anything capable Of
being excited and communicated In these eIPcF!-
mcnis e1cep; it be notion
The inquiry thus begun has been maiurcd into a
coherent system chiefly within the lasi i~cniy
year, II adds another 10 the examples afforded 80
abuudanry by science where great discovery be-
longs rather 10 M epoch than 10 81 individual. Ihc
labors u various men q Different nations have con-
rribuic1 TO build up the theory, and among these
Mayer Of Germany, aud .Ioule Of England stand
pro-omiucn'.
We cannot perhaps better close this notice than
in tho ELOQUENT words Of tie author when speaking
Of science a. On agency Of intellectual discipline
"Asameans Of intellectual education Ito claims
are f,ill disputed, though, once properly ofsan4cd
reatcr and more bcnciocnt revolutions await iis
employment here than those which have already
marked its applications IL The material world
Surely the men Vhose noble vocation 1t Is to sy'-
tenize the culture OF England. can never allow
this giant power to grow up IN Their midst without
cndeayoring TO turn II TO practical account. Sci
enoe does not need their protection. bu, IT de sfo-
their friendship on honorable terms 1t vishcs e.
work with them toward tho great end Of all cduca-
tion--,he bcttorng Of mans estate
VICTOR HUGO
!. VICTOR HUGO RACOyTR PAR uN TEMolS DE -