394 



KNOWLEDGi 



[Nov. 10, 1882. 



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cnarf Ufmmviii, —r o«» »»« M«»» »f a4drt—ti lyf corrrtfondenli if ttic^n >n 

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Tliuiiks for your note, but wc cannot vory well 

 now for letters about incteor«Io(fical short- 

 li, after all. to v.ry little— U. U. The tJreen- 

 .i> an objectRlass by jlerz, 12} inches in diameter ; 

 ■,_-i!. .s about IS feet. It is mounted in what is called 

 -ii manoer. 1 am not very proud of the little book you 

 ;v one of these days to publish a much improved version. 

 i\ Yon write in' the tone of a Humpden or Parallax. 

 » you liare on more thon one occasion shown me to be 

 i you eridently think 1 think so too. Well, I don't. I 

 . a' were simply jesting in your support of Siemens' theory 

 ,.,.1. . .^.^ had admitted that it is unsound). And now with regard 

 iu ihc^u cloud matters. Yon had said that a straight band of 

 clonds cannot jKWsibly appear to bo curved, which (you admit) I 

 know, in the sense in'which you use the words, as well as you can 

 tell me. It should have been clear to you that 1 used the words in 

 a different senfo. I used them, in fact, in their ordinary sense. 

 .\ Ixind of clouds really straight appears to tho eye to pass ugiwardB 

 from the horizon (in the particular case I dealt with) to a point 

 high above the horizon, and thon to descend again to tho horizon, 

 in such •ort that any one hwking at it says it scorns to form an 

 arch. 1 sijcak of this band as appearing cur\-cd to tho eye. Then 

 I show how this appearance of curvature is brought about, — 

 obtaining a pmjection which indicates the varying distance of the 

 band from tho horizon. On this you obtrude a comment which im- 

 plies that as the banil is really' straiglit, it really looks straight 

 — if only what we see is rightly interpreted. So you might 

 say of any illasion, tliat it is not really an Illusion, because 

 if wo rightly reason about it. wo shall perceive that it 

 ii just what wo onght to sec.— H. A. Ducdale. You will have 

 ■c<-n ere this thot that aspersor of your sex was very fully dealt 

 with. — J. Cb.\ii. It seems to me the views you have (correctly) 

 ascribed to me arc sound. Professor Toil's are, as you may judge, 

 .,!.;■. pi-<. ti Ih.'ind versions.— W. and S. Nay, but tho projectile 

 .r.,unil in the same time in both cases. All that 

 ri .It horizontal velocity is given to it is that it 

 U-fore it roaches the ground, but it travels that 

 •■(.■■rt time. You have t|uite correctly intcr- 

 .rt's correct statements. - F. II. Uabbf.n. 

 • is one answrr. Tho evidence is all in 

 ■ h you seem to find improbable. Wc 

 ''<■ evidence that plants undergo such 

 :- Mr I •rut .Mien describes. It may soom easier to 

 •liMt nil the varieties were separately created. 1 cannot 

 .:. I ii no. I find the iilea of special creation very ditlicult to 

 •/. :iL'l, tliat is no reas<jn for rejecting it. But os that 

 which we find that the Creator docs provide or 

 »e must accept what we sec. I can imagine an 

 .- that it ■ecmod to him for more natural to suppose 

 ■.t had bc<m made just aj ho saw it; and that ho 

 ■ ach twig, and branch, and loaf, and bud had 

 lut facU would be against that short-lived and 

 : r.rinr.irr — f H. SfTTox. IIow do you mean 

 bought up every copy of tho 

 ■ ir hiimis on to make up a fow 

 I ijund having long since been 

 • ; r tit out the earlier numliers 

 r;ii'S thus Ixiund, spoiling 

 rhaps for three|H-ncc a, 

 .Me that price. Surely 

 I you than you seem to 

 innkottKtormglass. (2) 

 ji-rt not yet decided. — 

 th- number of miles, 

 ;•• omiiricnl depression 

 Tiiight line tangent to 

 ■ » iilx.vo tho other end ; 

 .no of night is not quite 



- . , — . .<, and for avemgo state 



uf air u giitn tjr l«kiz.g ui ibchus as the deprcsssion instead 

 of c^t. Ygar ktttrr aboat ' comets' tails marked for in- 



sertion. As regards nutation, where is friction to come in? 

 — A. Mc'D. No; the points at which tho different pianola 

 reach tho parts of their several orbits whore they arc nearest 

 tho sun aix' not in the sumo direction ns soon from the sun. 

 In tho pictures of tho orbits with which I illustrated my article on 

 astronomy in tho Kncijclopadia Jlriiannica I have shown the pusitiou 

 of all tho major axes of tho orbits.— Henby M. You are, of course, 

 right. Our answer was written correctly, however. Wo wrote that 

 Carlylo's statement was quite incorrect ; no motion brought about 

 by internal n>action8 alters tho position of tho centre of gravity. 

 The word was printed "any." Unfortunately when correcting proof 

 a momontary lapse of attention caused us to muko wrong what was 

 right and leave wrong what was already wrong.— P. Q. R. Ploaso 

 uotico proccding reply.- W. P. Uanckuhi:!.!). Yon quite misunder- 

 stand my meaning. It is not at all fron\ any struitlacod views 

 about morality that I lind reason to object, but because a tacit 

 assumption is made that rank should niuke a difference in our 

 estimate. But have you read the story of those intrigues, and can 

 you still speak of affection us in question ? — W. S. Bhch^k. There is 

 no such law. Tho farther the ball is from tho bat tho less is its 

 velocity. — T. R. Allinson. It is very pleasant to have such kindly 

 words from so valued a correspondent. — W. S. 1 really do not know 

 why each year scorns to pass more quickly than tho last. It certainly 

 is so — worse luck. 1 do not see that you can do bolter than to study 

 " Darwin's Origin of Species" (later editions, of course). Time, 

 time, time. — An Old I'ai'Link. Tho writer was, 1 believe, divided 

 between tho question of grammar and that of rhyme. What would 

 you have had him do ? If ho had nsod the tense of the original 

 you would have ridiculed that unjustifiable future. Uo know 

 quite 08 well us you could toll him, that with tho correct tense for 

 a present statement tho line woiUd no longer scan correctly. But 

 Grammar before tiradus. Syntax boforo Prosody. As I am tho 

 writer in question, I may claim to know why I changed tlio tense, 

 despising the quantity. If yon would liuvo given tho lino as it 

 Btauds in llornoe without some antocodont words, to change the 

 tense, then would you have deserved the punishment you suggest, 

 for mo. — J. Wat.son, Jun. We really cannot insert your defence of 

 spiritualism. — U. L. J. Cannot insert a recommendation which, 

 however fairly given, would open the door to any number of gratia 

 advortiscmeuts. — J. W. B. Yes, it you do not take tho square of 

 tho distonce ; but then you ought to take the square of the dis- 

 tanco.— J. P. K. The mistake was tho result of an unfortunate 

 chance, tho letter getting separated from tho enclosure. — A 

 Constant Keadeu. Head " offended" for "ofiEensive" and I agree 

 with you. " Forgotten," no ; that is not one of those things which 

 should " bo washed in Lothe and forgotten," at lonst by tho wise. 

 I am but one of thousands who noted it us a thing well worth re- 

 membering, not for a few years, but for generations. It revealed 

 no much. By many it may bo romembored as an injunction, not so 

 by those who, like myself, would not cross a street or a room to boo 

 a procession of all tho Emperors and Kings in the earth's four 

 quarters, uidoss some of tlic-m chanced to be persons who ha<l 

 bonelitcd their kind : (not thut I have a particle of feeling against 

 thorn J thoy simply do not interest me). You speak of " cowardice 

 in ollacking those who from their position cannot reply to suoh 

 nttncks." Pardon me if I remark that you must know this is absurd. 

 " Persons who from their position can say what they please," oven 

 when addressing the race which stands easily first in power and 

 influence throughout tho earth (which I suppose you will admit to 

 bo true of Knglish-spoaking nations) would bo much nearer tho 

 mark. Also (a mere detail), there was no attack. I simply re- 

 l>ooted a warning which was meant, I take it, to bo noticed. 

 You are slightly mistaken about tho "majority" of readers; say, 

 rather, one in a hundred. — .1. A. Fuaskh. It is a simply organic 

 substJinco, the Nostoc of Gorman fablo. The superstition that it 

 is a fallen star is, as llumboldt somewhere remarks, a very old 

 ono. Dryden, speaking of Chapman's " Bussy D'Ambois," says: - 

 " I have sometimes wondered in tho reading what has become of 

 those glaring colours which amazed me upon the theatre; but when 

 I had taken up what I had supposed a fallen star I found 1 had 

 been cozened with a jolly, nothing but a dull cold mass, which 

 glittered no longer than it was shooting." — T. II. M. 1 have very liltlo 

 doubt that if the comet were to rush straight into the sun, it would 

 very appreciably increase his heat. But if it is to ho absorbed, the 

 process of absorption will nocessarily bo griulual. — A. Blakk. 

 There is no saying what would happen if a whole army of comots 

 were to arisi' and swoop upon tho solar system. If tho skios foil, 

 we might or might not.have more larks than usual. — M. W. Bbown. 

 8o many wore against the weather charts that it would be unfair 

 to rcsuiiie them. We did not give tho names of a tithe of those 

 who wore opposed to them. As to tho other question, I imagine 

 the ordinatcs are drawn, and then through their extremities a curve 

 is drawn freehand. This would bo near enough.— Skjma. I should 

 I say Alpha, certainly. Uii fittings aro much moro satisfactory. 



