New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-29

PAPERS READ IN MONTREAL

PLANETARY THtORY-oTHER ADDRESSES
lpY TELEGRAPH 70 The rEIBuNE.l
MONTREAL. Aug. 2S.-Ihe association made an
honest effort to-day to clear its calendar, and AMI
mated meetings were held in all the departments.
In the section devoted to mathematics and astron-
ou,y several excellent pnpsrs were read, among
tben beiur one by the Rev Dr. houghton of Dub
lin. on New views Of George H. Darwin'a theory
of the evolution of the earth and moon system con-
sidered az to Its bearing on geological time" lie
following abstract gives the drift Of the argument,
but il was made clear by expansion and illustra-
ton. aud frightened throughout by genuine IRISH
manner. which was only equalled by fbe genuine
Irish combativeuess which the speaker displayed
~ fine dlscussion which followed. lie SAID:
rcn-rclv concur IN Mr. Darwin's published caeuia-
lions though diner from the physical conception ne
stor,el from. The Eighteenth Century astronomers
believed in me rprtual m"hol oi i"o pl'uc,"i1 ~
Ten ut Nineteenth Century astronomers nave clsooN
ere that tue planets and stars are composed OF mater
similar 10 thai Of Our earth AMI that perpetual motion
is as Impossible among the thc iy 'o-e5 as II - On
INV assumed even so far back a. the times
o. Newton and Curaut at tae earl ana planets nave
Solid condition hey possess. Ltniace III MS ntOu
lar bvy0ihe-s also assumes the former existence 81
rrooe,t- VINO believe that tne cart consists OF soma
crust UnOre less thick rrposlns upon IL nud OF
[ as been p, owed by william Thompson, following
that the present condition OF the earth, take Il
a.. whole is such that must be
Tsarled Il. being more rgid than glass or steel The
fnl0yins considerations show thai II may he faiIy
DOUBTED whether tuo earth OF any OlAcf pahet existed
the po-si1ry of the equilibrium Of rings Of sat,
urn suppOsiton mat ny are either 'ol!d OF qu
has been more than dOuDicu anu 'nS Iio9. ~ ~ ~
hypothesis concerning tnen l. thtt hey CONSIST "l
swarns OF discrete moeorio stone, 4-eole meaning
Ut "a dlticult " understand The low
sPenG s.a gn the s@oposoB i hat hey are eaeT
solid or liquid for we know OF no substance hIt enoug
10 form them. II the Outsr plabeis c0hsi7 o. ul'Cicc
InoJeoEc stones moving Gun" 80 ~ ~ t a.
the difficulty respecting he specific gravity "oud ui'
3-The recent researches connecting TIE periodic
showers Of shooting stars vita comets 'e1u
cooling break up dscrete SOLID particles, anu that
PROBABLY the solar nrbu4 cooled IA TX NAME i,o
| mo the cold OF space.
| ir HuIgus- recent comparisons ~ the spectre
scopic appearances OF comes ana incandescent Por
neeOric stone shows the presence IA DOth Ol
hydrogen and MIR y II compounds confirming con
customs drawn from the ICeuy % the paJA vi comets
| and metcOrIc shOOting-staTs.
all aud considerations it is allowable
to suppose that the earth ana moon when they separated
from solar neDua I'D IN the form OF sold meeoric
stones each ol .hem having the temperature OIL lh'er
stel space, that IS something not nuca warmer tnan
| 4GUo Fahrenheit below the rreeAng-pOInt OF water
! | entirely disagree Wlth or william THOMPSON ana
others thinking that this earth and once
liquid and cooled in passing through stage yisco1y
in1o she present condition hf. George A. Darwin LAS
! taken tlat idea OF the eArth ana moon and
| has applied his analy sis to discover the laws Of
the carth-mOOn evolution lh We supPoslIOn that thr
the earth by poduns udes IN the yseoqs
!
| EQUATIONS each involving the reciprocal o.
| the sixth power OF the dir ance between
the earth and But this remarkable result does not
prove any one theories Of fcon that nave been
supposed IL only shows what woud not Ike
| 10 cay before the general public, how
little, after AZ, mataematiclaus know. lLaughteTl
Mathematics cannot decide the important question be-
earth anu cool earth OF meteorc stones
In the section of Geography, and Geology Profess
sor George IL. Cook, of the New-Jersey Geological
survey, read a paper on the change of relative
level of the ocean and upands on the Eastern coast
of North America. In tte Anthropological section
Miss Fletcher concluded her remarkable account
of the sun dance" or great re
liglous ceremony of the Dakota Indians
In the Microscopical Section Thomas Taylor read Z
paper on The HOuSe-t Considered Ia connection
with the Distribution of Infectious and COntaglou
Poisons." ,
a The paper which attracted most attention in th'
Chemical Section was one by Dr
| Gilbert of London, on the determination
of nitrogen In the soils OF some OF the experiments
fields at Rothamstcad. and the bearings Of the resu
| on the question of the sources OF nitrogen III ou
crops. The lecturer proved by an Overwhelming
| array of figures that pure nltrogeI was not takei
from the air. Among the papers read III the Pny SIC
Section was that OF George lies, on oxygen In th'
Ar.a