= Ea apa =: Sg aoe Se ee ce a | rape eg 3 
: ni ‘Tt eae pi go atti . Sea Bs ea ee” aint elgg 131 
REMARKS. 
_ A correspondent inquires, is it not possible that Cordier 
may have deduced untenable conclusions from his own ex- 
periments? By numerous trials, he seems to have shewn, 
that if a point be assumed at the greatest depth to which 
solar influence penetrates, the heat increases upwards and 
downwards from that point. He assumes the increase of 
heat to the depth of a few thousand feet as the ratio of in- 
crease to the centre of the earth. By this *principle of cal- 
culation, he infers that all the interior of the earth is in a state 
of fusion, at a depth considerably less than one hundr 
miles. But if the earth was, at the beginning, highly heated 
throughout, would it cool in that uniform ratio assumed by 
Cordier; so that the remaining heat may be represented by 
a four-sided pyramid whose sides are isosceles triangles? 
sided pyramid whose sides are the areas of Gothic arches 
with sides nearly parallel towards the base? The latter 
would certainly be the true figure for representing the re- 
maining heat of a red hot cannon ball, after it had been sus- 
pended by a chain, until its superficial heat should be so far 
reduced that it could be borne by the hand. According to 
this method of calculation, the increased temperature de- 
monstrated by Cordier’s experiments, would not require the 
greatest heat, even at the centre of the earth, to be above 
the red heat of iron. 
NOTICE. 
Before closing this article, we deem it proper to mention, 
that a translation of the entire essay of M. er, (i 
form of a neat pocket volume,) has just been handed to us. 
It is from the Junior Class at the College of Amherst, who, 
under the direction of the able and active Professor of Che- 
mistry, Mineralogy, &c. in that institution, have favored the 
American public with the whole of this singular and interest- 
ing production. As far as we have been able to observe, 
the translation is executed with fidelity and in good taste, 
and will, we trust, command the attention of those who are 
disposed to inquire into the physical condition of the in- 
o planet.—Eb. 
terior of our 
