Temperature of the Terrestrial Globe, ^x. 57 



Art. II. — Memoir upon the Temperature of the solid parts of 

 the Globe, of the Atmosphere, and of those regions of space 

 traversed by the Earth; by M. Poisson, Communicated to 

 the Academy of Sciences, of Paris, at the Session of that body, 

 held on the 30th of January, 1837, 



Translated from the French, for this Journal, by R. W. Haskins,* of Buffalo, N. Y. 



I PROPOSE to offer, in this memoir, an epitome of the principal 

 results which are found in my work, entitled " Theorie rtiathe- 

 matique de la Chaleur ;^^ (1) to add thereto some new remarks, 

 and to recapitulate the principles upon which these results are 

 founded. 



Near the surface of the globe the temperature, at every point, 

 varies with the different hours of the day, and with the different 

 days of the year. In considering these variations, Fourier, sup- 

 posing the temperature of the surface given, has confined himself 

 to deduce from this the temperature of a given depth ; thus leav- 

 ing unknown the relations that should exist between the exteriour 

 and interioiu temperatures. To determine these relations Laplace 

 has assumed, for the exteriour temperature, that which is indi- 

 cated by a thermometer exposed to the air, in the shade, and 

 which depends, in an unknown manner, upon the heat of the air 

 in contact with the instrument, upon the radiant heat of the sun, 

 and upon that of the atmosphere. I have exhibited this problem 



* To Prof. Silliman. — Dear Sir : In the niniiber of your Journal for April 

 last, you gave a translation of one of Baron Fourier's papers upon the temperature 

 of the Terrestrial Globe and the Planetary Spaces. A view of this subject, differ- 

 ent from Fourier's, has recently been taken by S. D. Poisson, in his treatise upon 

 Heat ; and of which work the author has given a condensed outline in a paper 

 that appears in Cotnptes Rendus hcbdomadaires des Stances de I'Acaddmie des 

 Sciences, No. for 30th of January last. 



Of the merits of either of these theories I assume not to judge ; but as it seems 

 highly probable that those who take an interest in these investigations would be 

 pleased to see something of M. Poisson's views, I send, herewith, a translation of 

 a part of the article in question. I have given but a part, as the paper is long, and 

 much of it is devoted to mathematical demonstration, which I suppose would 

 hardly interest the general reader, while those who wish such demonstration will, 

 of course, seek it at length, in the author's work, referred to. 



Respectfully yours, 



Buffalo, Nov. 3, 1837. R. W. Haskins. 



(1) 4to. Paris, Bachelier. 1S3.5. 



Vol. XXXIV.— No. 1. 8 



