372 E. B. Hunt on our Sense of the Vertical and Horizontal, 
I will now instance a few observations or experiences, tending 
to confirm the general views here presented. 
1. In passing around a particular curve of the railroad from 
Worcester to Boston, I have twice observed that the whole land- 
the concave side seemed to dip strongly towards the 
southeast, while from the adjoining views and the position relative 
to the ocean, I am satisfied that the real dip could not be nearly so 
great as the apparent. This I conceive to result from a compo- 
sition in the body, of the centrifugal action with gravity, which 
inclined the sensible vertical from the curve centre, and so appar- 
ently lifted the sensible horizon, or depressed the actual ground 
relative to the same. ‘This instance seems to show clearly the 
dependence of our horizon on our gravity sensibility. 
2. From the summit of Crow Nest, the mountain just north of 
West Point on the west bank of the Hudson, the view south- 
ward presents two distinct reaches of the river in the same 
glimpse, which seem entirely separate bodies of water, by reason 
of a mountain spur, which severs all apparent connection at a 
distance of some six miles. From the height of over 1200 feet, 
you look down on the river not over a mile distant and can 
readily fancy this portion an elongated lake, embosomed in gran- 
ite hills. Some fifteen miles below, a second apparent lake is 
seen, and this, despite your knowledge that it is a lower part of 
the same river, seems elevated above the water beneath you by 
perhaps 250 feet. This delusion is due, I conceive, to a dip in 
the apparent southern horizon, caused by our not appreciating the 
elevation of our point of view, relative to the hill ranges over 
which we look and so passing our horizon too low among the 
south Highland peaks. The boldness of the south face of Crow 
Nest hides that side from view when on the top, and so makes us 
think the summit of view much lower than it really is. Indeed 
from a point some 200 feet lower on the river face, the height 
above the river seems greater than that from the summit, proba- 
bly because you there see the whole connecting slope. Thus in 
passing our visual horizon as a kind of general tangent plane, we 
ive it a south dip, which seems to lift the distant water. This 
illustrates the power of our general visual habit over our gravity 
sensibility and our distinct knowledge. 
3. From Jones’ Hill, which forms the west bank of that Sleepy 
Hollow, where the exemplary Ichabod Crane achieved immortal 
fame, the west view embraces a general slope of three-fourths of 
a mile to the Hudson, then the broad Tappan sea, and the west 
bank beyond, half Palisades and half Highlands. On a quiet 
afternoon of last year, I there saw a thick fog so drape the west 
bank as wholly to hide it from view, yet leaving the east b 
and about half of the river in full clear sight. The fog looked 
extremely sky-like and shut down in a clear line on the water. 
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