274 * ' Scientific Intelligence, 



tended that the recorded cases of persons restored to sight by being 

 couched for cataract, or having a pupil formed, led to a similar conclu- 

 sion ; — all of whom saw objects at a distance from the eye, and none 

 supposed those objects to be upon the eye or within it. 



Dr. Whewell, after expressing his strong sense of the general value 

 and ingenuity of Sir D. Brewster's views, and his diligence of research, 

 begged most respectfully to differ from him entirely in his conclusions. 

 All the facts adduced by him were as well known to Berkeley, and to 

 those who adopted and carried forward his views, as they were to Sir 

 D. Brewster; and he could scarcely suppose that conclusions so firmly 

 based upon facts, and harmonizing so completely with all that was 

 known, would be overturned in a moment by a few well-turned senten- 

 ces or ingenious popular deductions. As to those animals who were 

 under the dominion of instinct, the question how they at first were 

 aided by their senses, since it was most intricate, he conceived we 

 could not hope to dispose of in this summary manner ; and many 

 doubted whether it was not so mysterious in its operations as to leave 

 the question of its final solution at any future period most doubtful. 

 But as to man, he had little doubt that the most convincing proofs could 

 be adduced that he required experience to guide him in the uses to 

 which, at least in mature life, he applied his senses; although he ad- 

 mitted that in infancy something resembling the instinct of other ani- 

 mals was to be observed. But if Sir D. Brewster had persuaded him- 

 self that infants, or even persons restored to sight at a mature age, 

 could see the distances and directions of objects directly without any 

 aid from experience, all he could assure him was, that there were 

 many others fully capable of forming a sound judgment who after the 

 most patient and attentive consideration of facts had arrived at a very 

 different conclusion. — Mr. Estin, surgeon and oculist of Bristol, must 

 beg to confirm the views enforced by Dr. Whewell. He gave several 

 instances of persons whom he had restored to sight from total blindness, 

 who previous to experience could form no idea whatever of the distan- 

 ces or directions or shapes of bodies; and in one instance the patient 

 for a length of time was in the habit of shutting the eyes entirely and 

 feeling the objects, in order to get rid of the confusion which this cir 



cumsiance gave rise to. But as her experience grew more perfect, 

 she saw with increasing correctness and pleasure, until at length her 



sight became perfect. 



in 



Effects of 



Assoc, Athen., No. 1086.)— This communication was illustrated by 

 an experiment, in which it was shown that a platinum wire, rendered in- 

 candescent by a voltaic current, was cooled far below the point of in- 

 candescence when immersed in an atmosphere of hydrogen gas. This 

 remarkable cooling property of hydrogen, of course, became the sub 



plunged into water in which delicate thermometers were placed, the 

 wires were traversed by the same current from the battery, and it was 



that 



