, 1870-08-21
IS THE WORLD ROUND?
The lsc9fcf OF 7Br. JHttt 1snn'roch'

,ta,.tliug wafer muss haso certain degree Of !
every part must bo all arc Of cir
lie, 11riug At the rate Of about esslt inches prr
milo; aud in oreTy succeeding mile. eight |
snce, N1r. llstnplru saya 4e tried the follow |
nH e1l#ran'rnt. LII the Old Bedford Canal, |
t'atnfHidgceilire, a boat and Gag was |
directed TO sail from Weluev bridge,
and rcn,aiu at Welche's Dam, six |
taileh distant. Nr. ltamlueu. Will, a telescope,
placed himself III the water 81 a tAther, with |
his oye nut exceeling eight inches above the
surface. The iiag aid tue boat down to tLc |
watess edge, we're clearly visib!o throughout
the whole distance, 10 that le concluded If
tie surface OF The water had rireu q. aboye
mentioutd, he could not have reef, tho boat
al all. We hare neither tie sI,arc nor the in
cl'nstion to follow alr. Han.l'aeu in the fa:-
Suffice it to eay tlat tllir gentleman offered to
stake five Hundred pounds Oh hi- theory; aud
Dir. 4. Il Wallace accepted tie cialiense. uf-
feHpK, IN like tuantet, IL stake five hundred
pounds upon tile isrue, and agreeing to
''Iroye the cousc2ity or curvature Of the Hur-
face Of canal. Hrer. or lnke." Tie aput
ctloren WAS that portion of the Old llelfon1
Canal. between lid bedford Bridge aud VEL
hey Bulge, tlletance uf Elk miles in etsaisht
liae.
The experiment csme of March S. 1870;
anu all ollong Hignal, si1 feet by three, was
Placed on Old Bedford I;riIge, lis centre be-
ing thirteen feet four Inches above the water.
At tluCe mIer distance alouS the caual ING
quite from the report Of Mf. Catpenter, Mr..
ltamtMcn'6 referee1, a staff was erected, ]1ay-
Ing rcd dire of wood one foot in diameter
affixed to it, the centro of which was alee
thirteen feet four inches above the water;
aud on We1uey Bridge, three mllcs farther, a
third signal ,yas placed, reaching the top Of
the bridge, thirteen feet four inches likewise
al'ovo the water. The observations we're made
s.y means Of a large telescope lfour-inch OBJ
ject-f:laes), aud a1so by meaus Of . eixteen-
iush Ttoushtou lrsel, placed in the Same po-
s.tiuu aud height above tie water a. tic large
athronlnlic; TN tie central sgn,i-staH there
vas red disc, which vas allowed to remain
nine tcet four inches above the water, ur four
fret lower than the other.
Nov the result WIS, that in each Of these
observations, one taken from Wvluey Urilse,
and tue other from Old bedford Eri1gc, with
the large acLrnlnatic te'tscot.e, tue two discs
abhve tie other bridge, showing that the rig
ua,-stsH in tile centrc vas higher, and thus
pruyiEg tbs couvc,ity OF tie Wn.cr. Similar
results appeared Will the telescope Ut a eix-
teeE-inch lrougtlton level, plzccd in the same
position. The umrircs, uf conree. Could not
agree, and the editor OF tue Field wn4 called
in as referee. liz decided that aIr. Wallace,
by nlLaRs OF the experiment agreed on, has
proved 10 Lis sntisfacsiuu the ''cuEvature to
ali fro " Of the Bedford C1ual tu the exteut
Of five feet, more or l:ra. Tie, tilutcfure, paid
Mr. Wallsce the one thousand pounds that had
teen lodged at CuuttH Ealsk.
alr. Wallace. in i letter to the Field (!atxil
2. l6IO). commenting & Oil alr. Carpenters re-
marks III his fepurt, says that that gentleman
objects to the value Ut the view iu tbs large
telescope ''bec1u-e it showed hut two points.
when comparisons had to be Instituted be-
tween three hut liz t'tuits to state that tho
telescope 1tsclt Was 1laced accurately Al the
third point, jus, as was tho hi,i.;s;svel tel.
csccpc-t1 the view shown t.y Which llc III axes
no objection. The Views FROM both extreme
itics Of the six ullcs agreeing closely, botl.
prove the very great accuracy OF the level
used, and that IT may be depended
,Fon to elsow thst the surf1ce Of water does
really eink tstow tie true Level l;t,e ia
continually increasing degree as the dis
tatcc is greater ; Int the rr''of of c'uveAity
il ITO way dcpcE'sA oil this accuracy, AZ it was
shown still lvtter by the large tclce.oHe with
o,st rplr1t level. Tie curvature hil3xn ly
| thh large telescope is about five s,,l t.slf
scct It thc middle signal, three miles .list .nt
equal TO c!sye,1 feet, If measured Il the FAR
| tirr sisusl: and the oppression b:tos the
closs leytl OF irt,e hair line Icing, accortlrS
| tn 1lr- Esr,eutes, all cIlal am aunt, u1lkca
| twenty-five feet in all. HAVING iess tll:a two
fctt lur rcfrac;inn 20 bring I: To the full taeo-
rctical aina,,s. Vii Ii i sosac'l.s less than
| tWv1tly-frur feet. The tl,7te points ti-sisted
in vertical lrccti''1: very nearly as mach NJ
" Required by tile srs:nel tii:nr1isi Ills of the
earth, 70 that ne may conclude that
l!se 1cs.f tclc-cul'a line is tangent
10 circle, approximately the cir
elr Of the cartE- Mr.. Erflton saSs, II ths
telescope in Til. cx.se.inc:l; l.,l l,"eu kid
exactly at right nnsles Ia riu:ul'-Iiue drop.
ped tsotn its cfltre, it would have bocn foI;.
that tile Hlli fuec OF the water three miles ufl
wss r!x feet, and at ri1 mics, tweu.y-fou,
feet, lower thai the water at Tho s,,o: whey>
| The ul:strsAtloa. was niatlc.
Or couE.e MI. 1ansi.aen Vas no. satisfied
nil, the resnl:, md still INSERTS that the sul
fare Of water is as hat 4. any billiard table j,
the metropolis: nnd III Ill snGTy lctler to tlt
fMhi. lie tells the cli,o1 Tint il ho tourhe:
Ike money to l,au'' i, TO Mr.. Wallace, hc VI,
t.rvc t!tctn both with writ for co1s=piriuS L
ta.tai,t tao1,ey on false treteuecs.
Ss. J.. y. lseazaer. Of F!ynouth, tells III
lat ''parallsz - tG:no ycars ago visi;o.
li.:nputh aud. in one uf Ills lectures. assert
ID that til" rock nl'o.. "i.sc!, the 1.1dys,oa
lighthouse is hsl,, a:,d Ha;rl, is abu,, =ixtcel
sa'ss from sLss shore, could lc seen As tlis
.:.rsty from the beach ,tuaer tie Hoe :.s i
.u,lI frem the tn, Of the lIne itscif. an clev,
lion u about cig.ty feet. Several Ecnt!cnc
at:FtGl tn ,nect III tho Hoo to test the cx;erl
t..',nt. The: Edasstone Lighthouse is aa,oa
siehty fcct high. am. j. ll.i!s on a rock wl1se
ing il sus1.,'n,atel by lantern. which octu
ii. = sanle ten or t1efyc feet OF its nppc
}.ol:ien, and .lc remainder Of the atrslctur
If asn,ea III ditferant ca!3re1 b.nis; 80 tlla1
III Ns: 1learler f':uezks. ii forn,ed an a1uis
.h'c <Ljtc' for the purpose Of Til. expes
.se Hoe at the height Of about eishtyfo foE
: Feet frosn the tevci Of tho aea below. 10 CO
:; 'csrs'ad with the height Of the Eddy ystnn
! sixteen miles of. from tl.s, The who
y # the Eddss;oao and its rock vel
n .is;'ine.iy ;ay vin'tls: @ Put Wien IL T.
u feet lover, the ro:ks were invisible: 4,
'r in proportion, as tbs telescope was re:lo,s
9 luucr ami lower, band after band Of the 19I
u Of tile luilltn: rank hesow tho horizon, till
u lati, ten feet a1rorc the waters cdgc. uotl,is
cc,,ll be seen but the lantern. Five f.
- nllas. Icing arkrsl tn account for this, said
n wnF due to tho u:'dulatians Of the vayes: h
tie dag vas se fs,e. that small yc.se!s con
u lc seen OIL the horizon with the naked ey
ic ns"l the bEteze vas very sl.cas. aud did II
es rrn<lnce ware. sufficient 10 prevent tic O
20 +ervsEs from standing within an average d
" ta''cc of three feet frf,m the edge ot the vat
OIL the bcarl1. On the same occasion. seve,
d vcsscls were watched. zone of which, teayi
+ the shore. con},I he eten gradually TO ie.ce
." te1uw the horizon, unt1l the hull. a
IT, IT, .'sen half the riSs;a. Ters out Of ,'sAt to
or protested he could see the hull a plainly
uf t,etnEe.
IN Homer considered the world a. fiat.
7: Gladstone, in liz $'Ht'ies ef Homer and
u. iio,mric -ict. t.a:..- that in Ilener's cstr
|ss tiun t!,r form Of the wnrld was not circ;.i
sel bnt oval. hayire -!,nrtcr diameter from E
!ar to weet than from nosti, to south. III the II
hd he Elven. it il il, the form Of rara!l.lICr
III with rounded edges. like the nb:onS -li
'l' then in usr. I2,a merit as the discovery of
~ s,t' rirt,l form pf tic earth is due 10 t!lc
'rh tHasorc1ns Who Gang to tho conclusion fs
1}s119 9ar 4fi i
Ill ~lctl,er TythaEnras Was himself aware Of :
fs truth. 1t was hot received generally in t;r..
t4u ulil the age Of ll,to. Tie .Aralss *pn.'nls
M, the Spherical fnr1n of the -slu5c. anil
calf .tiu,anonn. in 81; \. n, orler.l
measurement Of a degree IL the plains
Mes.., csan.is, s,,ics.. 4: nas,>s, l,t'r per
''' ". ..mita.t4thy Sncl1us in lTtanaand Nora
-. in England The let,sth of degrees of
r. meridian III different lasrudes gives the Il
NJ AVID size ef the Garth. E.cstu arcs have b
IT, a. The East 1ni,ic,. No two OF these yielded
~, srn rssEc reru!t, showing tic slightly i1tS'
-. fc'm OF the earth Mrs. Sonerviffe. III
crs "l1sy.icnl t;cograrl1y.' points nat that
,;01 dip CT df preston nf tile hoazo; is, in 70
~. wv nrna},err, a fa1hora for every th.ss nasie
~ | rr e11 feet high wo:!d BE- hid l,y the cn
III snrt. OF the earth At The distance OF I!
a.. miles. SINCE the III" increases as the sq1
ecs t hill 1on faslsonas high woull he hid At
ii distance Of ten rnile.. Another mole og
.sas tcru1inng the form Of the earth is Try the
~, citations Of the pendulum. Ifs tlesccnt.
f. consequently itr nscillatinss. are a:cfler:
~ 1T rropnrtion Ia tie foere Of Ersvitst
d. With increases from the e.:uaior to the rt
niis E;Ate.'n,s.ts "SNe "sH" h.sae ~ var
III, results. The rae.ho,i employed for mcasu
~, A1r4 OF the meridian, and that Of t3ein
~. the form t,f the earth frtn the oscillation
~ | the pendulum. are given in the sixth see
= Of Mrs. Sumeryilie'R ''Cnnnet,inn OF
scs. XXX, ~ st' c"ssis'. - ~, ~ ~,