Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-04-27
KIRcHmoFF's THEORY

since it was promulgated by him, yet be-
ing founded on his infallible discovery,
it is>in the main, generally adopted, Ac-
cording to Kirchhoff, the sun consists of
a solid or partially liquid nucleus in the
highest state of incandescence, which
emits, like all solid or liquid raised to
white heat, every possible kind of light
and therefore would of itself give con-
tinuous spectrum without any dark lines.
The incandescent central nucleus is sur
rounded by an atmosphere of lower tenn
perature, containing, on account of the
extreme heat of the nnelens. the vapors
of many of the substances of which this
body is composed. TIE rays of light
therefore emitted by the nucleus must
pass through this atmosphere before
reaching the earth, and each vapor ex-
tinguishes from the white light those
rays which it would itself emit in a
glowing state In the last clause of
what have stated of his theory, you
will observe the application of the law
of absorption of light by vapors, so clear
ly demonstrated heretofore
Nearly all matter that We can perceive
by our senses, is combination of sub
stances or elements, the number of which
is rather small.
THE GREATEST DEPTH YET ATTAINED
into the bowels of the earth, below the
sea level, is at Minden, Prussia, where,
at the salt works, the boring extends L.
$40 feet below high water. Other mines
are of greater depth from the surface, as
the old one at Kuttenburg, in Bohemia,
which is 3,545 feet in depth yet its
bottom is above that at Minden. But the
geological revolutions afford us means
of investigating vastly deeper into the
crust of the earth. During the intermin-
able ages that have passed since the
crust has been cooling, from a once mol
ten or incandescent condition, mighty
and violent revolutions have from time
to time taken place. As the earth's tenn
perature has constantly been subsiding
by radiation, corresponding diminu-
tion in size has been the natural conse-
quence. In this manner protuberances
and corresponding depressions have been
formed, which we call mountains and
valleys. Other agencies cooperating
with this lowering of the temperature of
the earth, have caused the lower strata
to be so tilted and bent as to be at, or
near, the surface in inclined and curved
positions, and geologists have thus been
enabled to study the material constitu-
tion of the globe to the depth of seven
teen miles. Of the many evidences of
this abrupt displacement afforded in va
rious parts of the earth, perhaps none
are more manifest and conclusive than
those at Herkimer County, n. Y, where
geologists have most positively deter
mined the formation and elements of our
globe to the depth of sixteen miles. The
chemist has proved that the materials
revealed consist of sixty-six elementary
parts, and that sixteen of these, united
in different combinations and proportions,
form nearly all the known matter of the
globe.
THESE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS
are silicon, aluminium, potassium, sodI-
um, calcium, magnesium, manganese.
iron, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, chic
rine, fiuorine, carbon, sulphur and phos-
phorus. In nature they are seldom OBJ
served simple and unmixed, but usually
associated and compounded in great di-
versity. Thus the air We breathe is COM
posed of oxygen, nitrogen, and small
per cent. of carbonic acid. The water
we drink, consists of oxygen and hydro
gen. Oxygen combined with aluminium,
sodium, silicon, potassium, magnesium,
and calcium, composes the greater por-
ton of the rocks, and constitutes from
half to a third of the whole crust OF the
globe. Sodium combined with small
proportion of chlorine, gives US that
most useful article, common salt Glass
is composed of silicon Carbon forms
considerable portion of all vegetation !;
coal chiefly consists of it, and it enters
largely into the composition of limestone
and marble At common temperatures
and when set free from combination,
nearly all the elements are solids. lWo'
mercury and bromine, are fluids, and
five are gases-chlorine, fuorlne, oxy-
gen, hydrogen, and nitrogen.
In conclusion, / will add, that the
more we search the wonders of the heay-
ems. the more we are convinced OF
THE EVIDENCE oP DESIGN.
Supreme wisdom is written IN every new
discovery. Geology and astronomy are
acquainted with no such word as chance.
"order is heavens first law, and order
is the heavens first and great law. sys-
TEN is written in the star-depths as on
earth, and in characters of burning ignt'
Tbougb infinite wisdom is beyond the
comnrehension of man, and though We
cannot presume to unrayel all of nature s
mysteries, yet it is indeed pleasure to
know that every new discovery strength,
ems our confidence that an all-wise and
supreme intelligence rules the whole. %
g.. f-oro undermining any doctrine or