New-York tribune., 1874-08-15

air. wheatsone by a revolving mirror determined the
velocity OF electricity. tho duration OF electrical ds-
charges, aud the duality In the direction OF the trans
mtted disturbance. Fedderssen and more recently our
own associate Rood repeated his experiment. In
the greatest known except that OF gravtationl has been
oy signals through long lines OF land and ocean
stone. But the anomaly IL due to mi-in'
ternTelaTH 1naer That electricity %iVe5 'hioGsA a
1SsIOo miles in second - not evidence that
Electricity has velocity in the ordinary sense. The
transmission of the electrical disturbance IL proper
tOnai 10 TIE square or the distance 10 be Travelled
therefore the velocity varies with the length OF the
19urney THIS law, dedueed from the mathematical
theOIy OF Ohm, introduces order among experiments
where hitherto there has confusion. The slender
aome which perpetuaes his name was nrst published
at Beiln IN 1927, and antedates Wneatstones exper
ments by seven years. Had the results OF Ohm been
sooher needed science would have long ago Deen ma
ferlaiy advanced Arago making use OF Wheatstone's
method proved expermentay that the velocity OF St
was greater IN air than In water giving fatal b0W 10
the corpuscular theory ght ana establishing the un
duatory theory. The Of the two values obtained
Ior thc velocity of ght IN the experiments OF fHeau
and Foucauit, comes very close to the astronomical
estimate. Cornu has recently repeated Flzeaus ex-
rlmrnt, eliminated its errors and brought IL into
accord with Foucaut
TIE DISTANCE OF THE SUN.
Let us see what these experiments have determined
Tor astronomy The sequences in the ecpes OF Jupters
moons are modified by the velocity OF light The aber
ration OF starlight is of the ratio between the
velocity OF light and that of the earth For nearly two
centuries our knowledge OF the velocity OF light leaned
pernents intensified the doubt astronomers had long
enelained as TO the correctness OF the received dls
Venus has been found the basis OF uncertainty; MI
stone an asro omer has examined tnls source oil error
ana by calculations nat give due weight to TINS source
OF Discrepancy has suddenly brought about rec0nca
tion between the experiments OF Cornu ana foucaul
the motions OF the and the transit OF venus, whch
Ia a. perfect surprising Nevertheless the ooser
yatons OF the coming transit viii be welcomed az
further means OF confirming these results and phO-
Biography will add It's valuable ad. Even gcOIOsy VIII
be the gamer by this certainty Of measurement when
rn nngh init lis
mark the progress OF our earth from It's cradle To It's
grave In our central luminary.
Merely mentioning the efficient assistance which the
poariscOpe the stereoscope, and the instruments OF
photography conferred the speaker hurried on TO
the consideration of the spectroscope, the Invention OF
which was reviewed in detail historically and some
account OF its services TO science was compressed III
few brilliant paragraphs OF a general character.
Ia reviewing the advances OF natural history Prof
Lowering spoke Of the discoveries IN that science adc
by Maupertuis and Lanarck, and considered them IN
connection with the nebular hypothess as Originated ny
Lipace and carried forward by the elder berschel
The fate OF the ncDular hypothesis is yet uncertain but
spectrOscOpic discoveries nave lent IL new ease OF
fe Enough of earth has detected the stars to
make man feel at home anywhere In the visible uni
verse and the ncbuar hypothesis Will AT least answer
the purposes Of science Til better theory Ii brought
The motion OF the fixed stars involves most interest
ing inquiry. Is there central point of space some
which there equilibrium while everywhere else there
Is motionl The dcllcacy of the problem Of sdereal
tances of the stars. motion has however, been oo
served absolute IN the sun, aud capable OF
estimate different stars "a fast As ther distances
determined. Here again spectroacopy mas come 70
our aid The alteration OF wave lengths OF ght Dy the
motion Of the observer or the object observed, mas
helped and is helping to solve this problem Ihs as
covery was then historically reviewed, going back To
tine discovery tbe velocity of light by observations ON
Jupjes satellites aud coming down to tue calculations
Vogel ana Higgins the displacement Of star spec
ira. these latest observations TO be received as
somewhat doubtful approximations Ihere ~ 100 tue
hydrogen aud other may be due to dih.rent
conditions from any We know oa earth III the gaseous
atmOspheres OF the stars.
MATJrFM,TICS AND PHI SCIENCE,
The mathematical and philosophical state OF the
sciences may claim attention. The undulatory
theory OF light gives rise to new series OF problems
How the ether affected by the gross matter which II
invests and permeatesl Does 1t move when these
bodies moyei II not is the motion OF the waves
changed thereby altering the waye-ength or the time
t os,lationl Astronomy says that alteration cannot
brexpaiued unless the cther IL at rest Optlcs fcples
that refractiOn cannot be eXpalneu uuc'S t.c eshe
AragO has discussed and FItsnei has Vhcio@ u
explanation of the discrepancy. very recently hel
teller Bonn has gone over the whole ground WIN great
care Tue observations OF ugglns Oh star drlft open
new series Q questions, ana may possibly thro" uls
credit upon the accepted estimates OF star dlstaCs
made independently py strive ana Areeiauuet' vi
der Wllhgen. the present year, has piOsheu wen
memoir the allacies which he regarus as
yitIatlng the conclusloE OF Hugglus. EA'pI n umu,
certain improbable conditions ne shows tat the ooi
of the iumlnary will not interfere with tho the of W
oscillation I tins he accepted the supposgu 40 ~ Oi
the stars must receive another interpretation On the
other nand II The motion of lumnary l. ascerahed
il 10 found to accord wth spectrum dspdce,nent
the natcal theory Will have to be recOhSldereu
the SUMS equator rendered ndeterulnate Dy more
recent i'll which yogel has participated
THEORIES OF GRAyIrATIoN.
The philosophical position OF the theory OF grdvtaton
was traced downward from the time of Newton Prof.
Lowering thinks that the turning point between Old
theories OF physics and was reached in 1887 wnen
= F,rldey pub shed his eXperm nts on the sptcn; IN
ductiyity of substances, and the discovery ot dadg
netsm aided the progress " Fdraiay. SAYS MIN"eH;
saw in his mnd's lines or force rIVer'ihE an
space where previously matGen Ltlc rs 81" cehlet7 o
force attracting at distance. F'riay saw me nun
where tney nothing ont distance. fiiaudy souEhl
the seat of the phenomena real actions gong oh III
the medium; they we're satisfied that they h'I loiu
II ~ power D. acton impfc,sc on ItY ecoil0 ~
Sir william Thomson, Prof. Maxwell, Gauss, NeDtI'
HelmAoitz tab red at the mathematical Jaws hVO,VGu
Maxwell aud Thomson prJiu.c IN telr acHhDWtug-
meus TO Firaday. revision Of the theory o graNita
ton was the natdral onEfowt: Ia iS'5 ~ W li1
Thomson resuscatcd aud repubShed the theory OF lie
SAGE posthumousy printed III 1878 and nltcd II our III "a
fashionable dress IL accounts iJr grdVp Nv ei' ,
lsions Of atoms with atoms, while bodies "hlch iooh
toward each other screened on opposing acea Ao
the eucrclng bomhardmtnt' , . a., .,,, .ir
In 1870 Prof Guthrie account of the attraction
Of glt body by the vibration Of tunlle-lOrh IhJn,
son, repeating the experiment, atfdc.cu
ergsDell by a wave OF the hand. Tie experiments
Xre considered As throwing new light Oh the doctrine
of attract on Prof Chals Ia an elaborate Wolk, ii
discussed the interplay between ether ami Atoms ana
the theory may now be REGARDED no louger as seu'
latiou but as q physical reality, with suDst al hd'i
mac, supports lie does yet clam full Inathrna
ic nroof bu mis- work Is guide-post that Enthusiastically
points the way. In respect the theories pi ~ StSe
aud Cnas coincide the driving storm OF atoms must
cone from outside the world OF the universe is
not even temporarily automatic. but must De ieu con
nuousIy by I'm agency extern ii to itself Oar science
thus is not nnallry. .,, , 49,.
The law OF conservation of energy lhe cn'iu vi ue
correlation OF physical forces, then considered IN
brief historical review and IL claimed that Newton
oundatIoD for This discovery The caution with when
Lagrange presented similar mechanical principles was
referred TO- Physical science can only assert thtl II
nnssrs.es no evidence of the destruction OF matter
or force The conception OF matter as moving
atoms was rs old Lacrctlus. 1he fnS-NotteN Ieory
~ UaI,rhotz i'm 1858 was most important addl-
ZION TO the philosophy OF the atomic conception Tue
cries Of atoms but a wh!ring vapOr. Inc music OF
the spheres has the heavens and descehded 10 the
molecules. --..- -. ,.,o.,,,otto q,
We have no conception OF inert matter or dsemOOded
force All we know of matter ITS pressure auu ts
,nntion cnud be shown that all the phenOneni