REMARKS ON WOOD AND METAL. 
59 
why ? because the hand being the colder body receives caloric or 
heat from the warmer, and this receiving of heat would continue till 
the hand and body were of an equal temperature, and on the con¬ 
trary if the hand be placed on a substance of a lower temperature, 
the sensation of cold will be felt, why ? merely because your hand 
instead of receiving caloric gives it off to the body. This is the 
reason then of the sensations of heat and cold. Now, if the hand is 
put to a piece of metal and a piece of wood, both of an equal temper¬ 
ature, the one will feel colder than the other, and for the same reason, 
the metals being better conductors, have the capacity of radiating 
heat in much less time. From this simple fact then we may in 
every days experience prove the difference between metal and wood 
as conductors of heat. 
Mr. Cur goes on by saying that he is in the habit every day ot 
examining wood and metal rafters, and were there any difference he 
could not have failed to have observed it; also that his pines never 
have that “yellow hue”Mr. McMurtrie speaks of. These objections 
are all very well, and might have been credited, had there not been 
counter assertions from surely as high authority. What then are we 
to do ? Are we to hang betwixt two opinions ? Certainly not. Let 
us examine first principles and go to science, and tell if the mystery 
can be unravelled. And what would science teach us P Assuredly 
that if the object is to have heat properly and economically under 
control, we ought to use the worst conductors. 
With regard to Mr. Curs query respecting Sabines conduct in not 
publishing Mr. McMurtries paper, I think it hardly deserves a calm 
reply, I may however remark that it is not only invidious but ill- 
timed. Mr. Cur seems to think I mistook his water experiment. He 
enlightens further: “ the water was placed in two different cellars, per¬ 
fectly unconnected with each other, but both of an equal tempera¬ 
ture with the water placed in them, the metal and wood were both 
immersed at the same moment, and when I examined the thermome¬ 
ter the temperature of the one was no higher than the other.” Very 
accurate indeed ! I may ask where did he place his thermometer, 
was it in the centre of the pieces of wood and metal, or in the water P 
How did he know the metal and wood were of an equal temperature ? 
Did he plunge the pieces over head, or half, or how ? Is it possible 
for any person, gifted with common sense, to draw any conclusion 
from such a confused experiment, or what does it prove even if it he 
so far accurate? In one word, all that Mr. Cur has been endeavour¬ 
ing to prove by his experiments is to disprove a doctrine, which he, 
nor no other is able to overturn until the nature of things are changed. 
