CAPILLARY ATTRACTION. 
686 
cohesion of its particles, produces the concave 
surface or meniscus of fluid with which the co- 
lumn is always terminated. He supposes this 
meniscus to be sustained by the action of the 
glass, while it exerts its own attraction on the 
fluid particles immediately below it, by means of 
which their gravity is diminished, and the water 
consequently rises in the tube; and he has de- 
termined the form of the meniscus to be that of 
a hemisphere, and its attraction to be equal to 
that of a spherule of water of the same diameter. 
Hence the attraction of the meniscus will be in- 
versely as its diameter, or the diameter of the 
tube, that is, as the weight of the elevated co- 
lumn, and therefore the heights of ascent must 
be inversely as the diameter of the tube. “Since 
it has hitherto been usual with natural philoso- 
phers,” says La Place, “ to consider the concavity 
and convexity of the surfaces of fluids in capil- 
lary spaces, as a secondary effect of capillary at- 
traction only, and not as the principal cause of 
phenomena of this kind, they have not attached 
much importance to the determination of the 
curvature of these surfaces. But the theory 
which has been here advanced, having shown 
that all these phenomena depend principally on 
the curvature, it becomes of consequence to exa- 
mine it.” In opposition to the authority of La 
Place, Professors Playfair and Brewster agree 
in thinking, “ that the principal and primary 
cause is that attraction, which sustains the men- 
iscus, and enables it to act on the water below 
without being drawn out of its place. It is not 
the concavity of its surface that makes the water 
in the tube press less in the bottom than if its 
surface were plain; but it is the attraction of 
the glass that produces in a manner equally 
direct, both the concavity and the diminution of 
pressure.” The fact mentioned in Exp. 12, has 
been ascribed by La Place to the action of the 
drop upon the column, in consequence of its con- 
vexity; while Mr. Playfair supposes the addi- 
tional elevation to be occasioned by the action of 
the bottom and outside of the tube upon the 
drop, by which the column of water is lifted up 
to a higher level. Mr. Brewster, however, thinks 
that the column of water, after being raised above 
its ordinary height in the tube, as in Exp. 12, is 
prevented from obeying the force of gravity by 
the force with which the drop below adheres to 
the bottom of the tube, and the force by which 
it resists any change of form; for the descent of 
the column to its usual height could only take 
place, either by detaching the drop altogether 
from the tube, or by giving it a more spherical, 
or a more elongated form. If the other explana- 
tions were true, then the column might be raised 
above its usual height in the tube, by placing a 
drop of water on the outside, and allowing it to 
descend to the bottom of the tube, where it would 
exert its force, according to La Place, or be acted 
upon by the tube, according to Mr. Playfair, which 
is not the case-—For further information on this 
CAPITAL. 
subject, see Hooke’s Micographia. — Hamilton’s 
Lectures, 11. p. 47.—La Lande sur la cause de Vele- 
vation des liqueurs, Paris, 1770.—Clairaut Theorie 
de la Figure de la Terre tirées des principes de 
U Hydrostatique, § 59.—Dr. T. Young on the Co- 
hesion of Fluids, Phil. Trans. 1805; and in his 
Nat. Phil. ii. p. 649.—La Places Mecanique Ce- 
leste—Playfair’s Outlines of Nat. Phil. vol. i. p. 
176, 184.—Report on the Theory of Capillary At- 
traction by Professor Challis, in British Association 
Report for 1831. 
CAPITAL. The stock of valuable exchange- 
able commodities possessed by individuals or a 
community. This is the usual and more limited 
meaning of the term ; for, in comparing the capi- 
tal of one individual with that of another, we | 
have in mind the amount of money for which 
the stock of each can be exchanged,—the market- 
value is in view. In estimating the capital of | 
any individual, we necessarily take into consi- 
deration the debts due to and from him; and 
many men of large capital are only possessed of 
claims upon others; their whole stock is in the 
hands of others at interest; and they have only 
promises for a certain amount of money, and 
actually possess neither lands nor goods to any 
considerable value; while others possess large 
quantities of both, and yet have little or no capi- 
tal, since they owe, in money, the value of the 
greater part or the whole of their possessions. 
Now it is plain that no individual can under- | 
take production, to any large extent, without an | 
extensive stock. He must have land to culti- | 
vate, or materials to work up, and implements | 
to work with. Even a savage must have a capi- | 
tal, such as his hut, clothes, cooking utensils, 
food enough to support him until he can obtain 
a new supply, and implements, such as a hatchet, 
gun, canoe, fishing gear, with which to procure 
this supply. The first effort of industry is to 
supply the implements, apparatus, and machinery 
for his own employment; and as society and the 
arts advance, and the operations of industry are 
extended, the implements, apparatus, machinery, 
and materials, requisite in conducting the pro- 
cesses of production, must be proportionally ac- 
cumulated; and these will constitute a part of 
the capital of a community, and also of an indi- 
vidual, which is essential to success in productive 
processes. And these can be commanded by any 
one in proportion to the extent of his individual 
capital; or, if he have credit, then his resources 
for production will depend upon the capital of 
others—in other words, that of the community 
to which he belongs. 
In considering the aggregate capital of a com- 
munity, we may put out of the question all the 
debts due from any of the members to others; 
for, whether these be great or small,—and they 
will vary according as the practice of giving 
credit is more or less in use,—still the capital of 
the community will consist in its lands, build- 
ings, ships, machinery, materials on hand, Le 
