86 Inquiries into the Principles of Liquid Attraction. 



Art. li..— Inquiries into the Principles of Liquid Attraction; by 

 Dr. Horatio G. Hough, of Martinsburgh, N. Y. 



TO PROFESSOR SILLIMAIV. 



Sir — If you think the following worthy of a place in the Ameri- 

 can Journal of Science and Arts, by giving it an insertion, you will 

 oblige your obedient servant, Horatio G. Hough. 



New Haven, August 31, 1829. 



Having never seen on record, any account that explains in a satis- 

 factory manner, the true principles of attraction by which liquids are 

 governed, I have thought it proper to communicate some experi- 

 ments and observations on the subject. 



My attention was first directed to this subject from some unsuc- 

 cessful attempts to cause a small piece of light wood of a cylindrical 

 form, to rest on water at the centre of a small cup, where each end 

 of the wood extended within about an inch of the sides of the cup. 

 The wood, when left to rest at the centre, constantly avoided it, and 

 was stationary only at the sides of the cup. (See Fig. 3.) 



My inquiry was next directed to the cause that produced this un- 

 expected movement of the wood. I soon perceived an elevation of 

 the liquid at the sides, both of the cup and wood, and these elevations 

 of the liquid appeared to be, in some mysterious manner, the cause 

 that produced this effect. 



Soon after this experiment, another, of quite a different character, 

 was presented to my view. A thin scale of slatestone was carefully 

 laid on water and it floated ; I soon noticed a depression of water 

 around the stone, and concluded that as much water above the stone 

 was displaced, as was equal to the difference of their specific gravi- 

 ties, and that by this means it floated. 



Not long after witnessing this experiment, I made another obser- 

 vation of a similar kind, but still more remarkable. On presenting a 

 pin to a small globule of mercury, it adhered to it, and I soon after- 

 wards applied a globule of this metal to water in a small cup. The 

 globule, when laid on the water, separated from the pin and disap- 

 peared ; but after repeating the experiment two or tliree times, with 

 similar results, I was surprized to find the globules floating on the 

 water. I then presented a pin to one of these globules, and as soon 

 as the pin touched the water, the globule suddenly darted from it, 

 with a velocity that seemed the effect of a strong impulse. (See 



