New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-09-21
SCIENCE ONCE A YEAR.

members after tho adjournment there, par
ticinotcd in a very enjoyable excursion TO
Sioux CITY. OF which brief description is
elsewhere given, will scarcely be accounted as
marking an era in the history of science or OF
the Association. For though everything pos
sible was done, and done successfully by the
people of iowa to make this one OF the most
pleasant meetings the Association has ever
known, its results otherwise must be re-
gartled as incomplete. In botany, the address
with which DR.. Gray opened the session COW
cred broad field, and was worthy of the
fame of its author; but in no other branch OF
science was there q treatment OF equal
breadth and discrimination, or giving
record of actual advance during the twelve
month past. Even as to papers of specific
character, announcing novelties in the special
walks of science, the Association has not tins
year come quite to the standard of its pre-
vious endeavors, though some of the discOv-
eries-for instance, Of new fossil elephant;
Of new facts as to the mutual relations OF
plants and insects; of new mathematician
analysis of the energy of molecular forces
were OF the highest order.
Without going round the whole circle of the
sciences and pointing out just where the de-
fcency was apparent, single example may
suffice. Among the most noteworthy advances
in science made during the past year, have
been those in solar and stellar physics by
means of spectrum analysis. The ObseTva-
tons on the eclipse Of the sun in December
last brought forth so much that was new or
newly c0nfirmat0ry of previous conclusions OF
American observers respecting the luminous
appendages of the sun, that Prof Young of
Dartmouth College found material in them for
at least two valuable communications to sci
entifc journals The observations of Prof
higgins of England on the detection of spec
trail lines because of the approach or retro
erosion of light-gving material have pro-
vided an approximate determination of the
rate at which the Dog Star is receding from
us and have furnished fresh information
as TO the speed with which our own lu-
minary is presumably revolving about some
central star, or, as a French writer prefers
TO express it, SIS falling plumb downward
"through space, attracted we know not yet ex-
"actly by what or whittier" Observations of a
similar nature applied to Encke's comet by
Profs Asaph Hall and VIM Hardness, and
series of ingenious synthetcal computations
| by the latter from the data of these and closely
related discoveries, form the basis of pam
phlet recently issued from the United States
! Naval Observatory, in which the following
among other conclusions are offered, which II
| accepted constitute a marked advance in our
knowledge of celestial physics: the spectrum
! OF Enckt's comet is that of carbon, At "A tenn
peraturenot much below 1000 f. The comets
mass is not less than that of an asterold.
The theory of resisting medium in space, as
computed from the reardation of the comet,
| being admitted for the purposes of the calcu-
! lation, the density of that medium is definitely
stated as capable of supporting certain frac-
| ton of ar inch of mercury. 1t is probable
| that the electric currents giving rise to auroras
! are proparated in the medium of space. The
! spectrum If the aurora is similar to that of
the tails Of large comets. Most surprising OF
all, this Spectrum is that of the resisting me-
! dunn of space-perhapS of the luminferous
ather.
Now this class of discoveries received the
most scany notice at the hands of the Asso-
citation. Incidentally there was, it is true,
well desered compliment paid to Prof. Young
for his eminent services i'll these researches.
| There was long winded paper read by one
| of the members concerning light and caloric
which displayed profound Ignorance of re-
cent discovery that would have disgraced
| freshman in any college that has opened its
doors to the new education )" and there was
| also piper upon heat and expansion that
dealt with cognate subjects in a vague and
irresolue way, which amounted to nothing.
The excellent paper by Prof. Kirkwood on
binary sars bore but slight relation to spec
| ba bn1a ho1
nearly slipped away, when at the last mo-
ment, tc be read if at all to score Of au-
ditors while the bulk of the Association was
absent IN an excursion, and thus also failing
to reacl the public through the newspaper
press, there was announced paper on the
| Temperature of the sun, which may or may
! not hav. contained something toward filing
| this vacuum. But the practical result Is that,
so far al this meeting of the American Asso-
citation ior the Advancement of Science is
concernM, not one step of the actual advance
of scien,e during the past year, In at least
one exceedingly prolific field of research, has
yet beer recorded before the public.
1t must be admitted that many circum-
stances combined to interfere with the success
of the meeting. The change at a late day
from Sar Francisco to Dubuque was unfortu-
nate. HID the meeting taken place in the for
mer city, the rich harvest of knowledge
brought by the Hassler expedition and the
presence of Prof. Agassiz would have more
than re,ompensed the absence of members re-
siding rear the Atlantic. many of whom, as it
was, prepared no papers and made no arrange
ments n 90 to Dubuque because they had con-
Guided when a meeting in California was an
ticipated, that they would be unable to attend.