, 1879-02-23
LOCKYER'S, DISCOVERIES.

|
| do to wind up this letter. N. +.
LOCKYER'S DISCOVERIES.
| Interviews with Eminent Scientific Men
The SUMS Hcat-Is tho Professor tile
| Verge Of Il Great Discovery :-1ncredulity
| Of CoiieEicns.
| carr.suondence y1,o FORK Herald
LONDON, Feb. LIN previous letter gave
| As sueciuctly as possible the line OF argument
employed by Mr. J. Norman Lockycr in support
Of the theory that the so-callcd elements are
compound bodies. Tie telegram which appeared
in the Herald OF Jan: II having caused at least a
ripple OF excitement in America, it may be we'll
to refer at first to that giving the keynote of
Mr.. Lockyers explanations of the solar pho
no,ncna observed during the last total eclipse.
All he has yet given to the world is only pre-
lininary to his complete argument on that sub
ject, and some weeks must elapse before It will
be ready for publication. Mr.. Lockyer is anx-
ious that other men should be induced to MD
inquiry, aud has therefore promulgated his
views before completing his investigations and
finishing his argument. The preliminary note
on the substances which produce the bright
lines In the solar chromosphere is the very
latest paper he has read to the Royal Society,
and is as follows:
Hitherto. when observations have been made
Of the lines visible in the SUMS chromosphere
bv means OF the method introduced by Jansen
and myself in 1868, the idea has been that We
witness in solar storms the election Of Tapors OF
metallic elements, with which We are familiar,
from the photosphcfe. a preliminary discus
slou of the vast store Of observations recorded
by the Italian astronomers {chicf among them
Prof. Tacchinf), Prof. Young, and myself has
shown me that this view Is in all probability un-
sound. The lines observed arc in almost all
cases what I hare elsewhere termed and de-
scribed as basic lincs.' OF these only need
for the present refer to the following:
13--Ascribcd by Eng=trom and Kircho1 to iron
and nickel
64-Ascribed by Engstrom to magnesium and
iron.
S, 5,a6S-Ascribed by Engs.rom to cobalt and iron.
E,26o-Ascrihcd by Ensstrom to calcium and
iron.
S, 5,235-Ascritel by. .Enestrom to cobalt and iron.
5,0l7-Ascrihed bv Eusstrum to nickel. .
4,2l5-Ascrioed BY Engstrom to calcium, but to
stronitum BY myself., ::
5, ,41O-An unnamed Inc.
s4Hencc, following out the reasoning employed
in my previous paper, the bright lines in the
solar chromosphere are chiefly lines due to the
not yet isolated bases OF the so-callcd elements,
and the solar phenomena in their totality are i'll
all probability due to the dissociation at the
levels. In this way tic vertical currents in. the
solar atmosphere, both ascending uld descend
ing, intense absorption in sun-spots, their $3.50
citation with the faculn, and the apparently cou-
tinuous spectrum OF the coronq and its struc-
ture, find an easy solution.
THE SUNS TEMPERATURE.
ssWe are vet as far as ever from demorstra-
tfon Of the cause Of the variation in the temper
ature Of the sun, but the excess Of so-called
calcium with minimum sun-spots and ex-
cess Of so-callcd hydrogen with maxi
mum sun-spots follow naturally from
the hypothesis, and afford indications
that the temperature OF the hottest region in
the sun closely approximates to that OF the re-
yerziug layer in stars Of the type Of S:rius and
Lyrn. Ii it be conceded that the existence of
these lines in the c!iron1osphere indicates the
existence OF basic molecules in the sun, it fol-
lows that as these lines are also seen generally
in the spectra Of two different metals in the
electric arc VIC must be dealing with the bases in
the arc also.''
SOME DEFINITIONS.
When -last met Mr.. Lockrer We had some
conversation in regard to the use Of such words
as .sdissociation,' ;chromosphere' etc. "'Dis-
sociation,'" said he, lis n word which 1las been
used for at least century and q half to express
this idea Of separation. If were to use the
word decomposition all would begin to crv
out that Lockyer called the elements rotten.''
He considered ssdissociation ~ better word
than any other We have for expressing the idea
0l CIlEIuitIl SEk1lEdtlQI IA tIECu EAStS NutFE IL
had been used by writer's on chemistry more
than hundred years ago. 1" As to the word
tchro1nospherc,, said he, Kit was coined bv
Dr.. Starkcy to correspond to the word photo
sllere.' think it is q better word than tchro-
matosphere.' It is more euphonious and saves
two letters. or course, We know very well that
chsonsutos was the genitiye of chront1, but the
word was coined for convenient use. In my
opinion We are not to be beld in bondage to the
for1ns OF tie Greek or any other language in
Wts mi Is +1,o
Slaves Of words, but such words rs we find it
necessary to coin should DE ut once understood
By scientific men everywhere If there is any
real obscurity in their meaning they are not
good words.'
"What do you think of the word sscicntist7'
The change Of the 'c' to IT. is merely Gu
phonic ono; and, as the word is French, from
the Latin sc:enId, is not the termination list
proper ones'
at Is an Observation-Disclosures word, and
rarely, Il ever, used III this country By educated
men. The word naturalist is good one, aud
was SO considered in Go1dssnith's time, bat IT
used here III It's most natural signifcation it
would be misleading We call q stutfcr Of
birds and OF animals and no one else .natur-
alist-'" The word telegram II was cited as
one inaccuratcly constructed from the Greek.
Still 1t was considered good word, and was
better than If it had four syllablcs in the most
orthodox form. He thought it was as well to
avoid pcdantry on the one hand as barbarism on
the other.
PH1LoLOGY AND SCIENCE.
NAV say that Mr. Lockycr's views on astrop-
omy appear to be substantiatcd as far as he has
gone by the record Of his experiments A few
days ago saw him making some interesting
experiments with potassium, and certainly the
results thereof had no depressing effect upon
his spirits am not at liberty to giye details
OF the recent experiments at present. Anv ac-
count of them would necessarily be imperfect
at the present stage of the Investigation. Mr..
Lockyer tells me he will publish nothing more
for two or three months, and during this time
will be hard at work.
t.You find it," said I, "something like making
new propositions in Euclid3''
s.Yes,'' said he, lit requires great deal OF
He said he WIS sorry there we're so
few good spectroscopists- He mentioned Mr..
William CrooLes and DR.. William Huggins as
among the most eminent men engaged in these
researches. He thought Prof. c. 4. Young,
although among the younger men. one OF the t
best spectroscopists tn America Prof. Josiah |
Cook, Of Harvard, had long been interested tn !
spectrum-analysis studies, and be hoped there |
would soon he many others ready 10 take part !
in the vast work that the spectroscope had made +
Mr. LockYer thinks that the most
active scientific men here arc ready to grant that