Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

not appear to come in any given direction. It neither appears to proceed from the bow to the ftern, nor from the ftern to the bow, nor from one fide of the veffel to the other. The fhock overturns men, ftanding on the deck, but they do not appear to be thrown forward or backward, on one fide or the other, but to be projected perpendicularly into the air. In fhort to obtain a remote idea of the nature of the affection we must refort to an artificial experiment.

104.

ment re

Immerse in a veffel of water the whole hand, or one of An artifici the fingers of the hand; and caufe a portion of electron al experi to pass from one place to another, through the water in- fembling terpofed as a mediate conducting fubftance. The parts the earthof the hand, or finger immerfed in the water, will feel, quake as as the electron paffes through the water, a fudden arrestation and cincture, exactly refembling the affection of a veffel, as defcribed by those who have experienced the effects of an Earthquake at fea.

felt at fea.

105.

mariners.

If the reports of the observers themfelves, according to Reports of their own impreffions at the time, fhould be deemed more convincing than any representation of them; the following inftances, felected from the reports of various navigators, who experienced the effects of the great Earthquake, on the first of November in the year 1755, will prove fatisfactory.

106.

"Off St. Lucar, the captain of the Nancy Frigate, Firft cafe. 66 reported that he felt his fhip fo violently fhaken that he thought at first she had ftruck the ground; but on hea"ving the lead, found that she was in a great depth of "water."

[ocr errors]

cr

107.

Captain Clark from Denia, in thirty fix degrees Second cafe "twenty four minutes of North latitude, between nine " and ten o'clock in the morning, had his ship shaken " and ftrained, as if she had ftruck upon a rock; so that the feams of the deck opened, and the compafs was "overturned in the binnacle."

108.

"The master of a veffel bound to the American islands, Third cafe. "being in twenty five degrees of North latitude, and forty "degrees of Weft longitude, and engaged in writing in "his cabin, heard a violent noise, as he imagined, in the ❝fteerage. While he was asking what was the matter, "the fhip was affected with a ftrange agitation, and "feemed as if she had been fuddenly jerked up, and fuf"pended by a rope fastened to the maft head. He imme

F

109.

Fourth cafe.

"diately started up with great terror and astonishment, "and looking out at the cabin-window faw land, as he "fuppofed it to be, at the distance of about a mile. On "coming upon the deck the fuppofed land was no more "to be feen; but he perceived a violent current cross the "fhip's way to the leeward. In about a minute this cur"rent returned with great impetuofity; and at a league's "diftance he faw three craggy pointed rocks, throwing up "water of various colors, refembling fire. This phænome"non in about two minutes ended in a black cloud, "which afcended very heavily. After it had rifen above "the horizon, no rocks were to be feen; though the cloud, "ftill afcending, was long vifible, the weather being ex"tremely clear."

"Between nine and ten o'clock in the morning of the "fame day, another ship, forty leagues weft of St. Vin"cent, was fo ftrongly agitated, that the anchors, which "were lafhed, bounced up; and the men were thrown a foot "and a half perpendicularly up from the deck. Immediate"ly after this the fhip funk in the water as low as the "main chains. The lead fhowed a great depth of water; and the line was tinged of a yellow color, and smelt of "fuphur."

Time does not allow, nor is it neceffary for the present purpose, to exhibit in detail the various facts which. confpire to prove that the Earthquake is an electric pha

nomenon.

IIO. Elearon manifefted in the

The fifth remarkable instance in which electron is subjected to the fenses of mankind is in the phænomena atGymnotus tending the Gymnotus and the Torpedo.

and the

III.

These fishes are found to poffefs the extraordinary aniTorpedo. mal faculty of producing, by an effort of volition, a conExtraordi- trary ftate of electricity on the oppofite fides of the body; nary facu- and making a foreign object in the water the medium of conveyance, the electron is difcharged through it, from one fide of the fish to the other, thus reftoring the equilibrium.

ty of those fishes.

[blocks in formation]

By means of this faculty the animal obtains its prey; and kills, or deters, its enemies.

The four following facts evince the reality of it as an electric effect.

If the object placed in the water is a conducting fubftance, the animal fucceeds in its effort; if the object is not a conducting fubftance, the animal fails in its attempt.

If the animal be touched by the human hand, or by any conducting fubftance held in the hand, the effect is produced: if it be touched by a non-conducting fubftance held in the hand, the effect is not produced.

The affection experienced in the human body, from the fhock of the Gymnotus and the Torpedo, is precisely the fame with the fenfation, when electron is artificially made to pass from one object to another, through the human body interpofed as a conductor.

The animal, by being taken out of the water, and by a fmall interruption being made in the circuit, by means of the interpofition of a non-conducting fubftance, has been made to exhibit the spark, at the place of the small interruption, in the fame manner as when the experiment is artificially made by the machine, which has been invented for that purpose,

113.

As a fixth instance in which electron is fubjected to the Electron fenfes of mankind it is proper to enumerate the artificial artificially machine which has been invented for this purpose.

All non-conducting substances are fufceptible of excitation by means of friction; and by that excitation an accumulation of electron is produced upon the surface of the excited body. If the paffage of the electron, thus accumulated, to the earth, is prevented by the interpofition of non-conducting fubftances on every fide; and a conducting substance, thus also infulated, is appofited near the excited body, the electron thus accumulated will pass to, and inhere in, the conducting fubftance.

By restoring the communication between the earth, and this electron thus infulated, the electron immediately paffes from the fubftance into the earth.

accumula

ted.

114.

Principle of the machine

IIS.

In this appearance it refembles a fpark; which is no Appea other than a small sphere of electron, seen in motion, as rance and lightning is a larger sphere of electron, seen in motion.

The found is the fame as in lightning, differing only in degree.

The fhock of a large portion of electron thus accumulated, approximating to the quantity discharged from a cloud, produces precifely the fame effects upon the human

effects of the electron

body; death, or blindness, or deafness, or palfy, or loss of memory and judgment.

116. Confidera

Thus have we exhibited a concise enumeration of the moft remarkable inftances in which electron is now known to be fubjected to the fenfes of mankind. If the hypothefis advanced in this work fhall be found true, another inftance, of more confequence in the fyftem of the Univerfe than any of the preceding, will be added to the number.

I fhall therefore now proceed to adduce thofe leading.. tions why confiderations on which the hypothefis that the fubftance the Sun is of the Sun is electron is maintained.

electron.

117. Prelimina

The following may be stated as a preliminary pofition, to guide and direct us in our investigation; and to govern the inferences which ought to be deduced.

Where two fubftances, fubjected to the fenfes of man Ty pofition, in the fame, or in different modes, correfpond in all the properties and effects which are fufceptible of obfervation in each, and differ in no property or effect which is fufceptible of obfervation in each, thofe two fubftances may and ought to be affirmed to be the fame substance.

118. Firft confi

rived from

If therefore in the courfe of the fucceeding investigation it should appear, that the fubftance of the Sun and electron correfpond in all the properties and effects which are fufceptible of obfervation in each, and differ in no property or effect which is fufceptible of observation in each, the fubftance of the Sun and electron may and ought to be affirmed to be the fame fubftance.

The firft confideration which I fhall adduce, as a proof deration de- of the identy of the fubftance of the Sun and electron, is the phenothat most remarkable property which the Sun poffefles of mena of permanently producing, or emitting, light and heat, in vast light and quantities, and in all directions.

heat.

If the property which the Sun poffeffes of permanently producing or emitting light and heat, were the effect of an evident combustion of the matter of its own body, or of other foreign matter; the astonishment which this property occafions would ceafe. Our curiofity would then

only be excited to know when, if it was a real combustion of the matter of its own body, a total confumption of that matter would take place, and a diffolution of the fyftem follow; or if it was a real combustion of other foreign matter, whence that foreign matter which fed and kept it alive was afforded, and what limitation was fixed to the fupply of it.

The opinion, that the fubftance of the Sun was ele mentary fire, we have seen to be the most natural, and most universal impreffion of mankind. When the progress of science however refuted the hypothefis of the existence of fire as an element, the tranfition to a real combustion, or to the existence of an intenfe heat without combustion, appeared to be the only refources of the mind,

Accordingly the former has been adopted as we have feen by Darwin of Great Britain; and the latter has been entertained by the great and fagacious Newton of the fame country.

119.

In hoftility to the former pofition, that the light and Examinatiheat produced by or emitted from the Sun are the effect on of the of a real combuftion, the following difficulties may be op- of Darwin. pofed.

Is this combuftion a combuftion of the matter of the Sun itself; or is it a combuftion of other foreign matter?

If it be a combuftion of the matter of the Sun itself, why does not the magnitude of the Sun conftantly de-. crease, as the matter of it is consumed, until it becomes finally extinct?

If it be a combuftion of foreign matter, why are we not able to obferve the application of those immenfe fup-. plies which fuch a fire must require; why does not the fire burn with greater intensity after a fresh supply of fuel is applied; and why does it not diminish in fplendor when fuch fupply of fuel is consumed?

Whether it be a combustion of its own, or of foreign matter, why does it exhibit no fmoke; why does it exhibit no flame; why is there not found a fenfible current of oxygene, from all parts of the system, to supply the confumption; why is there no appearance of calx or of afbes, as the refiduum of the combustion?

To the position that the light and heat produced by, or emitted from the Sun, are the effect of a real combuftion, the preceding will ever apply as infuperable objections.

opinion

« ZurückWeiter »