New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-14
HIS LIFE AND DISCOVERIES.

Professor Henry wa. born in Albany, y. Y, on the
17Cl Of LcccmU er, 1921. He of Scotch Prc-by-
terrain descent lie lost his father at early age,
and was adopted by an uncle who sent him 20 at
tend q school AZ Galway, Saratoga County, where
he remained uuu, he fourteen years old. lie
did not at first exhibit any remarkable aptitude for
study but was specially fond OF tie pcrusal OF
volh, Of fiction. After the death of his uncle, he
y,ss p1t with a cousin to learn the trade of q
irvrirr; bat two years after the business
was given mp, and Joseph Henry found
himself without employment. There is a story
thar hc was arrested IN a career of idouess lay
seeing some books uoon ms mothers table the read
ing Of which led mm to devote himself to the ac-
q..,itlon Of knowledge. He at once began course
Of lessons in the Albany Academy; and be was
puuii OF the celebrated Professor Hamilton who yIs-
ed this country tor the purpose OF introducing th"
method OF learning languages by mtoiirnear
r,,p~lations Joseph Henry, to support himself, be-
came district school teacher. His connection
VITA the Academy was several times renewed, and
IN 1896 be unsupported Professor OF Mathcmatic,
I'm tl,tt institution. He also private tutor N
tro family Of General stephen Van Rensselaer, and
was the assistant Of ID. ). Romcyn Been, principal
# the Academy, in his chemical researches. DR..
Henry also studied anatomy and physiology with
Dr,. Tully and Marsh having an idea at That time
he was offered an appointnenton a survey Of route
for Il State road from the Hudson River to Lake
Erie which he accepted When this work was COM
nj, ted the Professionally Of Mathematics was ten
dersd him and accepted Before entering upon the
duties Of this new position, he cu0peratcd with Pro-
lessor Eaton, OF the Rensselaer, School, III
a geological survey Of the State Of Ncw-iork He
began his acadcmcal duties in 1926 In 1927 he
conducted "a series of experiments in electricity In
ISIS he published an account OF various mOdilica-
tons Of electromagnetic apparatus which attracted
much attention both in this country and Europe.
lie was the first TO prove by actual experiment that
in the transmission of electricity for great dis
tanccs the power Of the battery must be pro
oortjonate to the length Of the conduc-
for. He was also the first who actually
magnetized piece Of iron at distance, and he is
said to have invented the first machine moved by
the agency of electromagnetic. In 1929, at the
Albany Institute, he exhibited electromagnetic
possessing power superior to any yet known.
One Of them, now in the cabinet at Princeton Col
lege New-Jersey sustains 1000 pounds, the battery
occupying but a cubic foot Of space. lie also ex
hibited at the Albany Academy, in 1881, the
experiment OF transmitting signals by means OF the
electromagnetic through mile of wire, ringing
bell at the further end. Accounts Of these export
ments were published in SillimGaS Journal Of Science
in 1881 and contain the essential suggestions of
tho magnetic telegraph.
In 1882 Professor Henry was appointed Profess
sor of Natural Philosophy in the College Of New
Jersey at Princeton, where he lectured during
single year, and, in the absence of DIR. Terry, Pro-
lessor of Chemistry, upon Natural Philosophy.
Mineralogy, Geology, Chemistry, Astronomy and
Architecture. lie resumed at Princeton his pri-
vate experiments and researches. In 1888 he
declined the ProfessOIsbp Of Natural Philosophy
in the University of Virginia. In 1887 he
visited Europe, where he Had an opportunity
at Kings College Of explaining his magnetic discov-
cries, In 1916, on the organization OF the Smithso-
man Institution at Washington Professor Henry
appointed its secretary. He had previously been In
ved by the Regents to give his advice to the best
methods OF organizing the Institution. He had not.
at first intended permanently to leave Princeton, to
which college he was much attached but his servi-
ces Of the Smithsonian so valuable that he was
persuaded to remain, and il owes to him more than
to any other nan, save Its founder, its undOubted
usefulness and prosperity.
When tho Lighthouse Board Of the United States
was organized, President Fillmore appointed Pro-
fessor Henry one of ITS members. He was, during
the War of the Rebellion, one Of commission, be-
ing associated with Professor Bache and Admiral
Davis, to examine and report upon various in7en-
lions intended to facilitate military and naval oper-
afiona Ha waa eIscted upon tho death of