Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 155 



appears to Lave forgotten that two scales are commonly used in 

 weighing goods, and that the weights in both must be equally af- 

 fected by the ' variation of gravity.' ' 



I suppose I may take it for granted that your Correspondent read 

 the article as well as its title ; if he did, I think he must have per- 

 ceived its design, and if so, may not I ask, " Suppose I did forget 

 the two scales in forming that communication, what then ? " What 

 have two scales to do with the matter ? Besides, two scales are not 

 absolutely necessary. Perhaps K. K. has seen large parcels weighed 

 in coach-offices, &c. by being suspended to a piece of mechanism 

 having a moveable indicator that points out the weight on a dial- 

 plate. Now were this apparatus, and a heavy weight suspended to 

 it, carried from London to Madras, does K. K. maintain that the in- 

 dicator would point to the same figure at each place ? If I read his 

 comment correctly it implies that such would be the case. I affirm 

 that it would not, and beg to leave the question for your readers to 

 settle. 



Your Correspondent also says, " a ton of any kind of goods weighed 

 at the King's beam in London, and shipped for Madras, will on ar- 

 riving there counterpoise a standard ton weight as it did before 

 shipment, unless an addition or subtraction of weight has taken place 

 during the voyage." 



I suppose this means if a ton of goods be put into one scale in 

 London and a standard ton weight be put into the other scale, they 

 will not only counterpoise each other at London, but in every other 

 latitude ; a truism which, no doubt, is quite correct and very sage, 

 and probably was intended to smash my unfortunate communication 

 all to pieces. But your Correspondent has apparently omitted to 

 consider what power supports the beam whilst the bodies are thus 

 counterpoising each other. Some philosophers, it is said, suppose 

 the earth to rest on an elephant, the elephant on a tortoise, and the 

 tortoise on nothing : K. K.'s theory of counterpoising appears to be 

 nearly similar. The scales support the goods and standard ton, and 

 the King's beam supports the scales, but the beam hangs upon no- 

 thing. If, however, two scales be attached to the King's beam sus- 

 pended in the usual manner, a ton of goods be put in one scale and 

 a standard ton in the other, perhaps K. K. will admit that the 

 centre of the beam sustains two tons weight at London ; but does he 

 mean to say that the centre of the beam would have to sustain the 

 same pressure if the whole were carried to Madras ? I deny that 

 it would, and here again beg to refer the point to the decision of 

 your readers. The table that I sent indicated how this pressure 

 varies in different latitudes : if K. K. can prove that the weight of 

 a body is the same in all latitudes, he can show that I am in error, 

 but I must see his proof before I can admit its validity. If two 

 pendulums accurately beat seconds at London, their vibrations will 

 be isochronous ; if they are suspended and made to oscillate at Ma- 

 dras, will your Correspondent assert that they will vibrate each once 

 in a second at that place ? This question is not irrelevant to the 

 subject under consideration : if K. K. can prove that a body weighs 



