Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-08-29
RUTLAND HERALD.
SATURDAY, AUGUST "a, 1867.
american Association for the Pro-
motion Of science.

This body ofscientihc men commenced
an interesting session at Burlington on
Wednesday. Professor s. 8. Newberry is
President.
Mayor Wales welcomed the association
TO the city Ia a very happy speech, which
was very appropriately responded to by
President Newberry.
A standing committee was elected,
composed of Prof. G. Caswell, Prof b.
A. Gould, Prof. G. w. Hough, Prot. ]. Fl.
Hassord, Prof. J. H. Golfer and James B.
Angel.
We have been unable to be present or
20 send reporter but we have received
the following interesting letter from
Prof. Albert D. Hager, who has just re.
turned from Paris, and true to his i'm
pulses, Immediately proceeds to the
meetings OF this association, to pursue
his scientific Investigations, in which he
Is enthusiastic. Vermont has in Mr..
Hager scholar and q citizen Of whom
she may we'll be proud
BURLINGTON, VI,
Thursday Eve, Aug. 22d.
Editors Rutland Herald The savans
of our country have assembled here to
attend the 10th meeting of the Amerl-
can Association for the Advancement of
Science l-a
The meeting will be one Of great In
.erest, and l regret that SO few of the
people of the State, interested in scien-
tiAc Investigations, are present.
Several papers have already been pre-
scented that were intensely interesting
and instructive, even to those who were
previously unimformed upon the subjects
discussed.
Prof. J. Lowering of Cambridge, Mass,
yesterday read a paper entitled, The
optical method of studying sound" and
this evening he has made experiments
before an attentive audience to illustrate
the same. Without attempting to de-
scribe the modas opsrandi, will merely
say that he proved conclusively to every
one present that the sound produced in
an organ pipe is by the vibration Of air
In the tube, and that the vibration of air
in exact proportion to the high or low key
of the note sounded. For example, If
note requires 500 vibrations per second,
one that is an octave higher will require
just 1000 vibrations per second. By the
delicate apparatus that he used, he is
able to count the exact number of vibra-
tons made in the organ pipe to produce
any note in the musical scale.
Prof Simon Newcomb, of the Normal
Observatory at Washington, read q
paper In which he described the manner
of obtaining the distance TO the same,
and alluded to an error heretofore adopt
ed by astronomers In making the COM
putation by which the distance has been
made too great. By calculations founded
on series of we'll attested observations,
he finds the Sun to be only 92, $40, 900
miles, instead of 95 millions of miles
distant from the earth, and the velocity
of light to be 1856 500 miles per second.
Prof. G. s. Lyman Of Yale College
spoke on the subject of Oceanic Waves,
and exhibited an apparatus fully Illus
trating their motion. Col. Charles
Whittlesey of Cleveland, o., presented
an interesting paper on the distribution
OF the precious metals in the United
States. In his opinion the mineral re-
sources Of North America are greater
than those OF all the other portions OF
the earth combined. He regards the &C.
QUESTION of Russian America a valu.
able one, and predicts that the mineral
deposits, already proved SO valuable in
the western portions of the United
States, extend north into the rocks
forming the mountain ranges of that
lately purchased territory.
The last paper presented yesterday
was by Prof. E. N. Hosford Of Cam
bridge, Mass, on the subject of Bread
He showed why it was that stale bread
became more palatable and fresh after
it had been toasted.
To-day E. B. Elliot Of the Interna
Revenue Bureau, Washington, read a pa
per on the relative values of gold and
silver for series of years, in which HI
presented many interesting and valuable
facts respecting the currency of TIT
United States and other nations, anC
also spoke of the desirableness Of having
all nations unite and form a uniform
system Of weights, measures and coins
based on apurely metric system.
Prof. James Hall of Albany read pa
per relating to the geologic relations
the mastodon and elephant of Nortl
America, and made special allusion t.
the mastodon found last fall in the apo
holes" at Cohoes Falls, N. Y.
Prof s. A. Scudder Of Cambridge
Mass, read paper concerning ancien
glaciers in the valleys of the Whit