AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 443 



COMPOSITION OP WATER — ITS DISCOVERY. 

 By H. Meigs. — It is admitted then, Cavendish, in 1781, discovered the 

 composition of water. Watt's claim is 1783. Lavoisier was accused of 

 claiming the discovery. In 1790, in the " Annales de Chemie," vol. 7, 

 page 257, we have Mons. Seguin's memoir on the combustion of Oxygen 

 and Hydrogen, presented by the committee, Messrs. La Place, Lavoisier, 

 Brisson and Mona. Meusnier, stating the decisive laborious demonstration 

 of the composition of water. This report was written by Monsieur La Place, 

 and signed by all the committee. 



MATTER. 



Faraday says, " I sometime since said that matter may be viewed as 

 having ultimate atoms as centres of forces — not so many little bodies sur. 

 rounded by forces. The smallest atom of matter on the earth acts directly 

 on the smallest atom of matter in the sun, though they are 95 millions of 

 miles apart ; further atoms, which we know to be at least 19 times that 

 distance apart, and in cometary masses far more, are in a similar way tied 

 together by the lines of force extending from and belonging to each." 



SQUARING THE CIRCLE — AGAIN. 



James Smith, of London, squares it by making circles and squares of 

 card paper, copper, &c., and weighing them. 



Mr. Tillman. — The printing of sound is not practicable. 



Dr. Reuben. — I would not so positively deny the possibility, because we 

 know the admirable sympathy between musical strings. A concord throup-h- 

 out the scale in a pianoforte, attends the vibration of only one of the strings. 

 These agitations may be, perhaps, yet recovered. 



Mr. Meigs. — And accurately, too, as in echo — the words are repeated 

 perfectly. The echo may possibly yet be recorded. 



Mr. Tillman was decidedly against any such theory. 



Mr. Stetson. — Yet sounds are said to have been rendered visible. 



Mr. Veeder deemed the opinion of Dr. Reuben of the matter as probably 

 correct. Connect 1000 sounding boards of pianos by a metallic rod, and 

 the concords will pass from one to the other. We endeavor to examine the 

 undulations of light, why not much more the comparatively very slow dis- 

 tinct undulations of sound ? 



The subject of Cloth was next taken up. 



Mr. Veeder. — We do not yet make best broadcloths. We use in our 

 woollen work shoddy from Europe and from home. Shoddy is made of old 

 wool cloth picked in pieces, the fibre of course broken much. 



Dr. Vanderweyde spoke of the low wages of Holland and elsewhere, aa 

 rendering it almost impossible for us to compete even with our own great 

 supply of mechanism in the work. 



Dr. Reuben. — Cloths can be rendered un-inflammable by chloride of zinc. 



Mr. Stetson. — A portion of the inquiry is durability, must we settle that 

 quickly ; return to skins and leather for our drapery ? I beg leave here to 

 correct an error of my own at last meeting relative to the yarn exhibited at 



