80 



Electricity, 



Vol. IX: 



really grass, though of what sort I was un- 

 able to say, and it was intermixed with a 

 small proportion of clover, of which there 

 was no doubt. The observations of passers by 

 were such as these: "What noble grass!" 

 "What fine timothy!" No one thought it 

 wheat ; there was no wheat amongst it, and 

 none perceived the resemblance. But lo, 

 and behold, when it came to shoot into head, 

 what was it? Every one could see, and 

 there was no longer room for doubt. It was 

 cheat ! really nothing but cheat ! The 

 "noble grass," the "fine timothy," — three- 

 fourths of the produce of that field were 

 turned into cheat ! Yes, actually changed 

 from its proper nature, and converted into 

 that mongrel cheat! From the owner of 

 the field, I learned that it had been in wheat 

 the year before, and — to use his own ex- 

 pression-^" it was more than half cheat." 

 Here, then, was a complete solution of the 

 mystery. No supernatural change had taken 

 place, no mongrel was produced ; but the 

 grain crop being " more than half cheat," 

 had left seed enough on the ground to fur- 

 nish a tolerable crop of hay, principally 

 cheat thus reproduced. 



Is it possible to resist the conclusion that 

 cheat grows only from its own seed, and is 

 never otherwise produced ! But in order to 

 give the advocates of the changing theory a 

 fair chance, I lay down the six following 

 principles; either of which being disproved, 

 I shall be constrained to acknowledge that I 

 have been in error parlially, and may be 

 wholly so. 



1. Cheat and wheat never grow on the 

 same stalk. 



2. They -never grow from tlie same root 

 or stool. 



3. Hybrids, or mixed species, do not prop- 

 agate. 



4. Chance productions sre variable, hav- 

 ing no fixed laws. 



5. Cheat seldom fails to grow, and always 

 produces after its kind. 



G. Cheat never turns to wheat. 



Till one or more of the above propositions 

 shall be proved fal-e, I will and must con- 

 tend, that wheat does not and cannot turn 

 to cheat. Agricola Non. 



Pleasant Mount, July 10th, 1843. 



Electricity. 



It appears that according to Wheatstone's 

 experiments, electricity travels at the enor- 

 mous velocity of 298,000 miles in a second. 

 A note about this velocity, and also relating 

 to the motion of light, which is similarly 

 rapid, shall be cited in order to exalt, if 

 possible, the conceptions, and to point atten 



tion to the marvels with which the material 

 world teems. 



Light is about eight minutes thirteen sec- 

 onds in passing from the sun to the earth, 

 so that it may be considered as moving at 

 the rate of one hundred and ninety thousand 

 miles in a second, performing the tour ot 

 the world in about the same time that it re- 

 quires to wink with our eye-lids, and in 

 much less than a swift runner occupies in 

 taking a single stride. ***** Such is the 

 velocity of light, that a flash of it from the 

 sun would be seen in a little more than eight 

 minutes from its emission ; whereas the sound 

 evolved at the same time — supposing a me- 

 dium like air capable of conveying sound 

 between the sun and earth — would not reach 

 us in less than fourteen years and thirty- 

 seven days ; and a cannon ball proceeding 

 with its greatest speed, in not less than 

 twenty years. The velocity of electricity 

 is so great, that the most rapid motion that 

 can be produced by art, appears to be actual 

 rest when compared with it. A wheel re- 

 volving with a rapidity snfficient to render 

 its spokes invisible, when illuminated by a 

 flash of lightning, is seen for an instant with 

 all its spokes distinct, as if it were in a state 

 of absolute repose ; because however rapid 

 the rotation mny be, the light has come and 

 already ceased before the wheel has had 

 time to turn through a sensible space: the 

 following beautiful experiment was made by 

 Wheatstone: A circular piece of pasteboard 

 was divided into three sections, one of which 

 was painted blue, another yellow, and a third 

 red; on causing the disc to revolve rapidly, 

 it appeared white, because a sunbeam con- 

 sists of a mixture of these colours, and the 

 rapidity of the motion caused the distinction 

 of colours to be lost to- the eye : but the in- 

 stant the pasteboard was illuminated by the 

 electric spark, it seemed lo stand still, and 

 each colour was as distinct as if the disc 

 were at rest. 



From what is said of the physiological 

 efiects of comnion electricity, we extract 

 the following paragraphs: 



It is stated by Mr. Morgan, that if a strong 

 shock be passed through the diaphragm, the 

 sudden contraction of the muscles of respi- 

 ration will act so violently on the air of the 

 lungs, as to occasion a loud and involuntary 

 [shout, but that a small charge occasions in 

 jthe gravest persons a violent fit of laughter: 

 persons of great nervous sensibility are af- 

 fected much more readily than others. 



A small charge sent through the spine 

 instantly deprives the person for a moment 

 ofall muscular power, and he generally falls 

 to the ground. If the charge be very pow- 

 erful, instant death is occasioned. Mr. 



