New-York tribune., 1871-08-25

|
bly, from molten mass within Prof Owens had stated
that diamonds would somo day DO found In Australia.
Prof Hawkins mentioned similar predotlOh Some years
of Prof Pennant, which had been Verled by facts,
| diamonds Of great size and value having since been
! found there The paper OF Prof Owens undertook to
solve almost every variety OF phenomena by certain
circles OF the cosmica forces which he assumed
brought 10 bear in tho formation Of the globe. The
paper covered too much ground In fact undertook
expain so much by its rather wredrawn theory that
many OF the membors seemed TO regard its notions
empirical and feared that the circles TO suit
the deductions Perhaps this scarcely fair Prof
| owens great note geologist but it quite
certain that paper read in the wrong section
consequently did not obtain hearing from the division
of scientists best capable of appreciating it.
ELECTRIC CURRENTS.
Prof T.. II, Elliott read paper the mutual action OF
elements Of electric currents The law Of tho action OF
elements Of electric currents as commonly given,
sumed that the action invariably in the direction OF
the ideal line which connected the elements This view
Mr.. Elliott deemed too limited and incomplete the more
mplete statement Of the law demanding action In va
rous directions in space according TO tho varying res
tive directions Of the elements The restricted law as Or
dinarilY given inconsistent with the generally ac-
knOwedged principle OF the conservation Of force,
whereas the completed statement given was IN full
accord with this principle. The incOmpeteness of the
law Of electric action hitherto given and known as
that Of Ampere had been asserted by the eminent En-
gish electrician Faraday who obliged 10 superadd
another which he called the law of angular forces
The complete law, proposed, embraced In one
simple expression all that essential in the incomplete
law OF Ampere and the supplementary law Of Faraday
The paper illustrated by diagrams and analytical
formula.
| RADIATION.
Prof. H. f. Walng OF Boston, Mass, I'm his paper on
"RadiauOn," attempted to show that the hypothesis
presented by him at previous meetings In regard to the
constitution of matter would remove some dithculles
which still remann the undulaOry theory OF light and
radiant heat for the transverse vibrations
the ethereal medium it has been deemed necessary,
by the investigators Of the unduatory theory to suppose
that the medium possessed a certain rigidiy OF form
which would require that 1t should be properly classified
among solids rather than fluids. Prof Wahng suggested
that, il his hypothesis Of the ultimate constitution OF
gases admitted, this improbable assumption of the
soldy OF the ether may be avoided. According to the
hypothesis gases made up Of lines or "hbers" OF
atoms which the proximity Of the atoms to Zach other
gives sort Of tensile strength These lines divide space
into minute imaginary cubes. The atoms, not being
impenetrabe pass along these lines in both directions
with velocities longitudinal vibration set
up in any fiber produces transverse vibrations in the
intesectng bers in the two transverse directions, and
these again in produce transverse vibrations in the
original fiber in addition to it's longitudinal vibration
On the principle Of the composition and resolution OF
forces the original series of impulses propagated by
waves having general spherical surface whose center
is the radiant point.
THE CELESTIAL ETHER.
In the interesting discussion which followed the read
ing OF the foregoing paper, Prof. Van der Weyde ex
pressed the opinion respecting the ether of the celestial
spaces that it gas very much lighter than hydro
gen. and the heavenly bodies collected In proportion
to their weight great this
ether about them. He discounenanecd the idea that
ether alone could transmit light. He believed that
transparent substances-air, water, Gass-transmted
light themselves not by Of ether with which they
arc penetrated He held that the velocity of sound could
compared with the velocity of the transmission
luminous vibration through transparent media, be-
the two modes Of motion were not at all the same
| He would distinguish four Incompatible varieties Of
these motonsthe conduction Of heat the vibrations OF
sound the speed of electricity; and that of light
Prof Walings next paper the chemical equivalent
OF the ether set forth that II consider the ether Of
space to be a gas may obtain its atomic weight by
simple calculation, If we admit the dynamic theory OF
fty Of the atoms multiplied by the atomic weight, is
constant for all gases at any given temperature ms
product for the temperature of CO. below zero, Cent?
grade il we take the weight of hydrogen atoms at unity
and the velocity of its atoms at -6G as 4s57 feet per
determined by velocity Of light is in round numbers,
2OO0OOooO0 feet per second OF when the sauhrg & Is
ber obtain the fraction one divided by l6965OOOOOO
| Qlearlyl as the chemical equivalent Of ether
| ToRToIsEs.
Prof Cope read paper the extinct Ortoises Of the
cretaceans Of NewJersey. His object to explain two
cases OF geperazed groups such are not compare
lively speaking, common and are OF much Importance In
| the history of life. "Generalized" "sympathetic
groups" sO-called by naturaiss explained TO be
| those which combine the characters OF Others They
were generally formed earlier geologic time, while tho
cases were as follows 1t sexpained that the division
OF the marine turtles ehelonudG possesses external bones
united few suures with wide intervals, straight
humerus and femgr and fiat limbs with unneate nnger
ing snappng gtOrOises possess narrow, cross-shaped
| sternum with the bones everywhere united to each
other the femur and humerus curved, and the toes,
1t then pointed out that in the New-Jersey green
sand type turtles is found embracing several genera
and species in which the sternnm has the elements
generally united by sutnre except two central bones
being thus immediately between that OF the eheohudg
and that of ceydrdS nappersl that the forum and
humerus are curved in the snapper but the limbs
| turtle. This family he called the prOptemidG.
The second presented by tortoises OF char
ep,yoide common river tortOises Of the Northern
the plastrOn lower she'll have pelvis freely sus
pended from the upper she'll and series OF
head thus drawn into the shell in vertical plane. The
peculiartes OF the plelTodira, the corresponding d
It then sho that in the cretaceans Of NewJersey
features Of these grOup had also some of the pec
larties Of the modern sea-turte and the Mississippi
snapper which, OF course add TO its generalzed charac
ter The value OF these generazed pointed
out as consisting In the correction OF views derived from
maintained retained unatered through great eTtents Of
time and space IN geologic ages The value of these
was because they in transitional condition.
1t rests with the Standing Committee say whether
the arrangements that they can effect with the railroad
companies are sufficiently satisfactory to make San
Francisco, the first Monday In August the time and
place OF the meeting Of 1917. To put this in another
shape, it may be stated thus: If sufficient number of
the Standing Committee can get railroad passes for them
selves san Francisco there is nothing TO stand In the
way OF their making that the place Of meeting az
they authorized by the Associations and the
the Association get there best they The al
tentative is Dubuque the third Wednesday in August
1872. Judging from the disappointment most Eastern
members here have met with about reduced railroad
fares il easy guess how the san Francisco business
will work. The Association proclaimed by circular that
| all would he
railroad from their homes TO Indianapolis aud
! hack Rut