New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-11-26
SCIENCE.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY.


OF WEIGHT AND MEASURE-PR0F. AGAsSZ
DEFINES HIS POSITION AS AN OPPONENT OF
p DEMONSTRATION WORK DIsPOSED OF By
THE CONVENTION IN FEW HOURS.
tFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or THB TRlBUsEl
CAMBRIDGE, Mass, Nov pa paper of
great interest was that OF Prof c. A. Young OF
Dartmouth College on Results OF the Coast Survey
Astronomical Expedition to tho Rocky Mountains'
libel his telescope, perpetrated by one OF the MORN
ing papers be corrected IL had not focus OF
"a feet but modest focus Of 10 feet with 40
aperture and a specroscope of IS forms. The principal
object the expedition TO find what gain wouio DO
obtained by eIeyatng tho telescope above the lower
strata OF atmosphere which very troublesome 10
the At Sherman on the Union Paciho isoau'
the elevation 5000 feet One quarter OF the at
mosphee thus left below, and by all Odds the worst
quarter This station was chosen for observations
The sum OF 5000 was voted by congress-
and put under control of the Superintendent OF inc
Survey The party was under charge OF Gen. Cuts ana
numbered eight or The station was occupied on the
9th or 9TH OF June, and observations made a. the
weather would permit for two months Tho results Oh
the expedition OF great value, and would have been
greater suen weather had not frequently interposod
However fine the morning the clouds would commonly
rise by noOn and thicken, and thunder storm would
follow which would perhaps clear away by OF O'CLOCK
i'm the afternoon Clear observations were obtained pon
the sunon "a different days Perhaps haf OF tnose
we're only two three or four hours There was only
Young could observe the When IT was clear, IL
was beautifully so. In the quadrilaterd OF the
Dipper he supposed most OF his hearers
would find it difficult 10 here even four stars but al
sherman he could with the naked eye ten, running
down 10 the seventh magnitude that Ia, stars reckOhed
in the British Association Catalogue He thought there
was an increase OF whole magnitude In brightness
The instrument he had the Dartmouth equatorial
He did not do much at night There were not many
gooa nights. The small companion Of Alpha a.
Capcorn was first discovered TO be double by the tele-
scope OF the Chicago University He could not see any
thing Of ts duplcity at Hanover. At Sherman one
could not miss IT, The teadness OF the air was remark
able He should never forget the view OF Saturn OBJ
tanned one evening. 1t most exqusitely sharp.
The inuer ring was very clearly visible Ho spoke OF
that because there paragraphs in the newspapers
TO the effect that reported its disappearance
NEW ELEMENTS DETERMINED IN THE SUN.
His principal interest was with the sun, and devoted
TO observation of the chromOsphere, its lines, and
spectral observations Of the individual prominences
and eruptons aud observations OF spots, &C. In the
sprctra of the chromosphero he had succeeded in
finding at Hanover 1O3 visible lines An enormous gain
was made by lifting the telescope 5000 feet The num-
Der OF increased TO 23 in 10 hours or obserVa
ton There were times during the nstants OF eruption
when he thought the number must be double But none
of these lines OF any special Importance eX-
cept the two lines at the upper end OF the spectrum
Those found always reversed at the upper end or tho
of different substances he found beside the
substances hitherto reckoned in the solar
substances the following were there, almost
certanly-sulphur cerium, and strontium. He found
seven lines corresponding TO sulphur aud nothing else
and fourteen lines which belong TO sulphur and some
thing else found five lioes belonging to cerium and
nothing else There were other lines which he had
not determined yet. number Of solar disturbances
were observed and in which there we're yeoctes
from 80 to $50 miles per second One OF the
most remarkable Aug. 3, 1872. The next day
the spot had advanced further the side. and on
aiming the spectrum Il was found that the lines and
the II lines were reversed little line below that was
sometimes seen reversed I'm the chromosphere, and
family Initiated the explosion they saw in the sun.
The most interesting point in connection with the
ma ghetto record. His observations led MIN TO conclude
that the great magnetic disturbances due to terres
trial causes yet that every great solar disturbance has
response from earth that is shown I'm the magnetic
effect He found that the next day. corresponding with
the spot disturbance, there peculiar magnetic dis
urbance. lie did not any other disturbance that
day on and he did not any other magnetic
disturbance but that corresponding 10 the llme OF
spot disturbance The coincidence was so striking that
he felt warranted IN concluding that magnetic disturb
ances the earth are affected somewhat 6y dsturD-
ances In the sun In concluding he thought no time
ought TO be lost in setting up as powerful an instrument
Ss of II e new eescopc giants should have chance
10 scale the heavens from tine mountain top. There
of The water, where magnetic Records could DO kept
Prof GIBBS thought that the masses OF iron IN the
tons in the SUI should make themselves feu on tue
! earth.
| INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS OF WEIGHT AND MEASURE
Yesterday afternoon. Prof j. L. Hgard OF the United
states Coast Survey gave interesting OF the
International Standard Commission. In 1870 the French
Government sent a request to other Governments to
name Commissioners 10 CONFUSION which 1t proposed
should meet in Paris for the purpose OF making new
ones International standards The direct motive OF
the invitation this: Numerous copies Of the meter
| nd 81 tba IN
servatore Paris, certified by various Swans which
were found not TO bear the stated each other
"a accurately as the present Of science demands
i uroi part antS of the United States The object
was stated 10 be merely that OF making
the length Of Which should define the standard length
by lines To- take the place OF me end az OF the T ar
| Commission met In August, 1870 The meeting was
parent that not one but considerable number OF new
Standards should be made that one should be chosen
the ultimate appeal and that the others should be dis
tribued 20 the different countries represented. COM
the next meeting OF the Commission, and certain pre-
minary Inquiries designated, such the study Of
the condition the standards proposed to be copied tue
methods TO be adopted and materials TO be employed
kThe Commission met again IN September OF TINS yoar,
determined the details OF the work TO be done The
principal conclusions a5 follows The international
meter TO have the length of the meter Of the archives
at the temperature melting ice Its material will DO
an alloy Of platinum and iridium in the proportions OF
upright sides soped like an x the upper surface OF the
mdrb being u the plane OF neutral bers, and bearing
the lines that define the standard length The rate Of
panson by heat will be determined for each standard be-
tween the limits % aud 400 oentgade. Several copies
will DO preserved at nearly constant temperature as
tests OF the nyarabity OF the prototype The inern&
tlOna klogramme Will DO exact copy OF that Of the
archives, and will, like the latter, have its standard
weight IN q vacuum. It's material will be the
| that OF the meter its fQTp, cyllpder Of egua
depth and diameter. TIA relation % tho weight OF
cubic decimeter Of wafer at maximum density viii
be ascertaned with the greatest attainabe precision
The Commission proposes that the prototypes, To-
gether with their tests OF inyariabilty and apparatus
tuto Of Weights aud Measures TO be founded aud main