New-York tribune., 1875-11-06
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.
MEETING AT PHILADELPHIA.

PLANETARY kTNoSPuFREs-HET IN THE COM
STOCK LoDE-CARBoN FROM TIR sKiEs-cAIl-
FoRNA GEysERS-ROCXs FORMED IN THE SEA.
irRox THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE rRiBUsEl
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 4.-The attendance of
scademicians was not as large to-day yesterday,
several having gone after presenting their papers,
NOT anreaIlng think Il part OF their duty listen
the productions their fcllow-members The proceed
ings however, of rather than usual interest
Prof Aexander's discourse the evidences OF an at
mosphere on the planets and Mercury attracted
the close Of the who also found
matter 70 their taste in Prof. Holden's paper
tie annular nebna Of Lyra. Prof Pumpelly
read one Of his Harvard lectures OH the tn
fuence of marine life and currents In the
formation Of metaferous deposits His description OF
tha vast forest under the sea ned with mutform ant
NAL e and making, by their decomposition, strata OF
rocks interesting unfamiliar with sciece Is
"a learned geOlogist The chemists occupied tne re
maindcr Il the day Prof j. Lawrncc Smith describing
soluble chrystaine product from the graphite OF me
teorc ore and Prvf X l. Rogers accounting by chemical
action tine heat In the California Geysers and IN the
deep mines OF Nevada. Prof. Rogers also brought mp
tie question OF reform in chemical terminology, ana
pointed out the contradictions ncompa;ibes, and ab
.uriites that arise the of xed and accepted
system lie gave that he should move for CON
mttee the next business meeting OF the Academy 10
consider the subject aud report possible, system OF
nomenclature or tho Academy to adopt Prof smith
remarked that Prof. Rogers's speech had pro
from writing q book chemistry. Prof
John L. lie CoIlte made report from the comm Z
tee appointed year the OF osons IN coofhs
articles Of food aud Wallpapers The conclusion OF TIE
committee that there was no remedy for the abuse
save in legislation and il thought that any laws
which would be effective would be regarded by uneda
Gated people oppressive and would therefore not be
passed by ordinary Legislatures. Prof Henry, re-
feing the small attendance, expressed tho hope that
at no distant day Congress would make appropriation
sxrhii att flt
meetings The Academy often called upon to render
important services To the Government In one instance
il had saved the Treasury million dollars annually
ry pointing out the In classifying GER
tain kind OF imported goods with fabrics CON
taniug wool Tue value OF the assistance 20 tho Gov
eminent of such body Of scientific would, he be
heyed soon BE- recognized. Prof. FrTmn Rogers, from
committee appointed 10 consider the feasibility Of IN
vtug distngu guished Of from abroad Ia come
10 this county during the Centennial reported that the
invitation would involve the necessity Of entertaining
who accepted il, and tis the Academy was in No
condition undertake, After the adoption # resou-
ton the University Of Pennsy lvana, for lis
hospitality, Academy adjourned The following are
abstracts of some Of tie most interesting papers:
SOUND AND FOG SIGNALS.
This paper, by Prof Joseph Henry, described con
tnlance experiments which have been in progress for
several years under the direction If the L. G. Light
Board, and tie results obtained last Sumner
The series OF experiments made at Block leland
the proongation of the axis of Long Island loest
chos OF its insuar position and its exposure
~ the waves Of the The second series was at
Lutte Jail land at the eud Of Long Isaud SOund
TIE FIRST experiments directed To the investigation
of u echo apparently heard from the the cause OF
which supposed to have important bearing on the
origin Of various abnormal phenomena Of sound The
experiments, however, did not definitely settle the qncs-
ton though results favor of the hypothesis
that h, echo due T. reaccton from the waves AMI
swcis ~ the rather thar 10 rejection tron the
Tn s.glt
Vaucn tue aUtitOn of sOuLd and the resut clearly
erTl,i.slcd tie feet that IN case Of sound comh
agast The wind n eorid be from greater di.
nee al elevation than at the Level 0l tue sesa mat
tn OF considerable practical importance IN the use oI io%
ohec experiments were made 10 determine the effect
6ye in sound heard hve times further with
the wind than against itthe velocity OF the wind being
st"i Bso nhes a" hVal. sailoLa @ t , 49,
mac With tie wud, a.runst tie wind, al rgii Angles u
t,t. The eff 90 0 thee yaons was prs' eIitr' 10
seFies OF dagraas Ieprss9ehnnS WIZ & was e,e4 @ 'he
sngce was of uuifcr1n velocity tie curves exhibited
approximately eliipucsl forms. Each curve how
e,cr presented abnormal phehohtna na ma nI'cat,nRE R
mt than Que to uniform condition OF the ats
mOsrhere The hnal result o. al tAe eAlerlmens. aI-
parcLy indicate. that sound II hoard lufllttt win
moderate wind and that with strung wind IT'S heard
smaller distance In every direction tlan in lefecty
attn arr and perhaps stll smaller distance than with
wind OF molcrate velocity Tie results OF these III
ton- bat are Of practical application in the location of
sound signals aud in Ihe instructions 70 mariners who
during anether year
NEW PENDULUM.
Prof J. Lawrence Smith Described a pendulum de-
sgued to meet the wants of cheap and eeient come"
satng arlan cement cOcks. Prot. SIuh bas
taken advantage 0 The great expansibiy OF vulcaute
un er changes temperature His erlmcns, IN coin
with OF Others prove that III eoehclent n e&
panso on IL about Of mercury, between o. and 2l2
The mechanical arrangements by which ne taAss avan
age Of this property vulce correct the variable
ertheuing of the pendulum the changes Of tcn
perature different simple, but cannot DC
made clearly mtelligb without drawing In applyin<
this simple Of compensating pendulum 10 clocks he
states that need add than twenty thirty
cents to the the pendulum ordinarily iii use. He
has constructed one perfect Of adjust
bent yet very snpe la character, which he thinks can
be attached 10 regulators and aslTOnOinic CLOCKS Fo
Smith is engaged investigating any possible
change in Inc materials used that may Int r1ere Win te
sueet Will take dime arrive at the necessary
competen, associate.
HAVE VENUS AND MERCURY ATMOsPHEREsf
Prof. J. Alexander described observations made at
Princeton College, n. j., which in connection with the
obsey atoms made by SehrOeer and Others lead TO the
conclusion that both Venus and Mercury possess atnO
spheres Of similar character TO that which The earth had
during the early geologic periods. The FIRST evidence
presented in the Of Venus Tie fact that the
planet always brighter around the border than IN the
middle Prof Alexander next showed by the aid of dia
grams results Of his observations the planet when
II presented the appearance Of moon when new and
when IN its nrst quarter. The apparent size Of
the horns varied In remarkable manner. one
being often quite sharp while the other blnt and
cOnsde r,by iogeshJreneL II Tie rejecting subsistence
ability hui # tie envelope Of an atmosphere sub
jec to groa er.groati"ns us would supply tue requ-
iregilary acting atmosphere which We may suppose
closely 0 ItsIhOie hat O ue taI dt ne peiiOd "heh
II undergoing its .1eat geologic changes The teu
Is atmosphere highly heated aha liable frequent
Il