520 



, SCIENCE. 



was left open to objection. This may be accounted for 

 by the fact that there was shown to me his article Minus 

 two paragraphs — the last paragraph on page 458 and 

 first on 459. Therein inertia alone was represented as 

 bringing back the planet from aphelion to perihelion. 

 That the planet, traveling its orbit from perihelion to 

 aphelion, as it were diagonally against the central at- 

 traction of the sun, would find its velocity and mo- 

 mentum diminished sufficiently to be made to return, I do 

 not doubt ; but that on the second round, it would reach 

 the farthest limits of its first round, I do not think there 

 is any reason to believe. The tendency would be to 

 bring the orbit into a perfect circle very speedily. In the 

 polarity, which is a factor of magnetism, we find a need- 

 ed regulative agency. Do we say that this agent is too 

 insignificant ? Nevertheless may it not be, in the words 

 of Faraday, the "very small change 'in some unknown 

 condition of the bodies " involved in the operation, 

 which is all-sufficient for what is required of it ? We 

 recognize the force of Faraday's objection to the popu- 

 lar definition of gravity, viz. : that alone it is incompetent, 

 and contradicts the law of conservation — except as we 

 add to it something more. That something more we 

 fully believe to be that electrical or magnetic constituent 

 which Faraday says " exerts an appointed and essential 

 influence over every particle ot matter." 



Query. — Is it wise or philosophical to recognize a 

 cosmical force of incalculable energy, and yet in our 

 theory of the cosmas make no practical account of it 

 whatsoever ? 



H. Raymond Rogers. 



Dunkirk, N. Y. 



The death of Mr. Charles A. Spencer, of Geneva, N. Y., 

 has caused universal regret, and in many respects it may 

 be considered a national loss, for as a representative of 

 America's skilled opticians his position was unique. As 

 a pioneer he was the first to manufacture Microscope ob- 

 jectives in the United States, and at once developed a 

 skill in the manufacture of these minute and delicate 

 glasses, which he maintained to the last. Spencer was no 

 copyist, his inventive genius and thorough knowledge of 

 the optical principles involved in the making of objectives 

 enabled him to keep in the van of all those who devoted 

 themselves to the same art. 



The greatest triumph of Spencer was in the enlarge- 

 ment of the angle of aperture of his objectives, in which 

 respect he was always in advance of the best European 

 makers, but he will always be remembered as a conscien. 

 tious worker, who never permitted an objective to leave 

 his hands which was not worthy of the maker. 



EXCHANGES AND WANTS. 



Wanted.— Tables of Ihe Parabola for Cash. E. E. Barnard, 



Nashville, Tenn. 

 Second-hand Microscopes wanted, also objectives. Name 



price for each. B., office of " Science." 

 For Exchange. — Large English Mahogany Cabinet for mounted 



slides, apparatus and books, for besti-8th or i-ioth objectives. 



Address C. R. T., office of " Science." 



METEOROLOGICAL REPORT FOR NEW YORK CITY FOR THE WEEK ENDING OCT. 22, 1881. 



Latitude 40 45' 58" N.; Longitude 73 57' 58" W.; height of instruments above the ground, 53 feet ; above the sea, 97 



feet ; by self-recording instruments.- 



BAROMETER. 



THERMOMETERS. 





MEAN FOR 



MAXIMUM. 



MINIMUM. 



MEAN. 





MAXIMUM. 







MINIMUM. 





maxi'm 





THE DAY. 











OCTOBER. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Reduced 



to 



Freezing. 



Time. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Time. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



— 



Time. 



Dry 



Bulb. 



Time. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



In Sun. 



Sunday, 16.- 

 Monday, 17.- 

 Tuesday, 18- . 

 Wednesday, 19 . 

 Thursday, 20.. 

 Friday, 21.. 

 Saturday, 22.. 



30.116 

 30.104 

 29.760 

 30.092 

 30.031 

 30- 179 

 30.142 



30.218 

 30.212 

 29.918 

 30.118 

 30.098 

 30.200 

 30.208 



10 p. m. 

 a. m. 

 a. m. 



11 a. m. 

 a. m. 

 9 a. m. 

 9 a. m. 



30.000 

 29.918 

 29.678 

 29.908 

 30.000 

 30.068 

 30.100 



2 a. m. 

 12 p. m. 

 2 p. m. 

 a. m. 

 2p.m. 

 a. m. 

 5 P- m. 



68.0 

 63.0 

 67.0 

 50.0 

 5i-3 

 53-7 

 57.0 



63.0 

 60.3 

 62.5 

 45.6 

 49-3 

 5°-3 

 52.7 



76 

 66 

 78 

 55 

 56 

 61 

 67 



2 p. m. 

 12 p. m. 

 2 p. m, 



2 p. m. 



3 p. m. 



3 P- 



4 P- <n. 



65 

 68 

 4' 



= 2 

 55 

 59 



2 p. m. 

 12 p. m. 

 2 p. m. 



2 p m. 



3 P- 



5 P- m. 

 5 P- m - 



62 

 59 

 5 1 

 45 

 47 

 44 

 46 



12 p. m. 

 4 a. m. 

 12 p. m. 



6 a. in. 

 1 a. m. 



7 a. ni. 

 7 a. ra. 



"IT 

 54 

 48 

 44 

 45 

 44 

 46 



12 p. m. 



4 a. m. 

 12 p. m. 



7 a. m. 



1 a. m. 



7 a. m. 



7 a. ni. 



.38. 

 105. 

 131. 

 120. 

 125. 

 128. 

 122. 



Mean for the week 30.060 inches. 



Maximum for the week at 10 p. m., Oct. 16th 30.218 " 



Minimum " at 2 p. m., (Jet. 18th 29.678 " 



Range 540 '* 



Dry. Wet. 



Mean for the week 58.5 degrees 54.8 degrees. 



Maximum for the week, at 2 pm. 18th 78. " at 2pmi8th,68. " 

 Minimum " 7 am. 21st 44. " at 7 am 21st, 44. " 

 Range " " 34. " 24. " 



WIND. 



HYGROMETER. 



CLOUDS. 



RAIN AND SNOW 



w 

 











VELOCITY' 



FORCE IN 









RELATIVE 





CLEAR, 



6 



DEPTH 



OF KAIN AND SNOW 



N 

 O 





DIRECTION. 



IN MILES. 



LBS. PER 



FORCE OF VAPOR. 



HUMIDITY. 





OVERCAST. 



10 





IN INCHES. 















SQR. FEET. 































OCTOBER. 









Distance 



M 





E 



B 



6 



B 



a 



E 





B 



6 



S 



Time 



of 



Time 1 ~ 

 of ?ur a - 



LI lit 



O 





7 a. m. 



2 p. m. 



9 p. m. 



for the 





Time. 



ci 





P. 



« 



d 



0. 





ti 



ci 



A 



Begin- 



End- < 10 "- 



C > 



IO 











Day. 







r> 



« 



o> 





n 



0* 





t-. 



w 





ning. 



ing. h - m " 



£ Z 

 < 



Sunday, 16. 



w. s. w. 



n. n. w. 



n. e. 



178 



2% 



1.50 am 



•542 



■542 



■45i 



94 



60 



73 









7 cir. cu. 



3 cu. 









3 



Monday, 17. 



e. n. e. 



e. n. e. 



s. 



*38 



I* 



6.00 am 



.412 



•497 



.562 



77 



83 



94 



8 



cir. cu. 



10 



10 













Tuesday, 18. 



s. e. 



w. n.w. 



n.n w. 



240 



I2i 



11. oopm 



.612 



■55° 



.404 



89 



57 



93 



8 



cu. 



9 CU. 













6 



Wednesday, 19. 



n. n. w. 



n. e. 



e. n. e. 



z 34 



6« 



5.50am 



.262 



■243 



■247 



84 



56 



71 









6 cir. cu. 



8 cu. 













Thursday, 20. 



n. e. 



e. n. e. 



s. s. e. 



in 





2.30pm 



.284 



•349 



•348 



85 



80 



93 



9 



cu. 



5 cir. cu. 

















Friday, 21. 



0. w. 



n. e. 



s. w. 



65 



X 



1.15pm 



.288 



•«97 



•39' 



100 



55 



87 









2 cir. cu. 













2 



Saturday, 22. 



w. n.w. 



s. w. 



s. w. 



'34 



2% 



3.20pm 



.311 



•33° 



.396 



100 





76 



























Distance traveled during the week. . 

 Maximum force 



1,100 miles. 

 12^ lbs. 



Total amount of water for the week 



Duration of ram 



DANIEL DRAPER, 

 Director Meteorological Observatory of the Department 



.00 inch. 

 00 minutes. 



Ph. D. 

 oi Public 



o hours 

 Parks, New York 



