The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal: Exhibiting a View of the Progressive Discoveries and Improvements in the Sciences and the Arts, Volume 2A. and C. Black, 1855 |
Contents
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acid action actual energy alumina animal appear atmosphere beds body boiling Botanical Canaries Carbon carbonic acid carboniferous centre character charcoal cholera cleavage climate coal coast colour condition consists containing crystals cudbear deposits Devonians diluvial diluvium direction district Dunquin dye-lichens dykes Edinburgh electric electric fish epidemics exhibited exist experiments feet fish fluid fossils fungi fungus furfurine galvanometer genus glacial period glacier Gymnotus heat Hydrogen inches Islands kind lake Lecanora Lecidea lichens litmus lutidine Madera magnetic Malapterurus manufacture mass matter muscle nature Navicula nerve observed obtained occur orchil organs oxygen paper Parmelia passive accident peculiar phenomena plants platinum salt Polder portion present principles probably produced Professor purple pyridine quantity rain regard remarkable Roccella rocks sandstone Scotland seen SERIES.-VOL side silica Silurian species specimens strata substance surface syenite temperature terraces theory tion Torpedo vegetable Young
Popular passages
Page 166 - The natural history of these islands is eminently curious, and well deserves attention. Most of the organic productions are aboriginal creations, found nowhere else; there is even a difference between the inhabitants of the different islands; yet all show a marked relationship with those of America, though separated from that continent by an open space of ocean, between 500 and 600 miles in width.
Page 97 - ... so thick the aery crowd swarmed and were straitened ; till, the signal given, behold a wonder ! they but now who seemed in bigness to surpass earth's giant sons, now less than smallest dwarfs in narrow room throng numberless...
Page 161 - Coptic name of the basket ^ /Sip, in phoneticising the hieroglyphical name of Berenice. It would be difficult to point out, in the history of literature, a more flagrant example of disingenuous suppression of the real facts bearing upon an important discovery ; where principles, too peculiar in their character to have occurred independently to two different minds, are adopted without the least acknowledgment, though circumstances proved incontestably that they were neither known nor thought of at...
Page 274 - During this long period of universal death, when Nature herself was asleep— the sun, with his magnificent attendants — the planets, with their faithful satellites — the stars in the binary systems — the solar system itself, were performing their daily, their annual, and their secular movements unseen, unheeded, and fulfilling no purpose that human reason can conceive ; lamps lighting nothing — fires heating nothing — waters quenching nothing — clouds screening nothing — breezes fanning...
Page 155 - Suppose then another similar cause to have excited another equal series of waves, which arrive at the same channel, with the same velocity, and at the same time with the first. Neither series of waves will destroy the other, but their effects will be combined: if they enter the channel in such a manner that the elevations of one series coincide with those of the other, they must together produce a series of greater joint elevations; but if the elevations of one series are so situated as to correspond...
Page 121 - a class of objects is defined ... as being constituted, in a manner not apparent to the senses, by a modification of some other class of objects or phenomena whose laws are already known.
Page 130 - ... that all kinds of energy and work are homogeneous — or in other words, that any kind of energy may be made the means of performing any kind of work ; and, secondly, that the total energy of a substance cannot be altered by the mutual action of its parts.
Page 155 - I shall endeavour to explain this law by a comparison : — Suppose a number of equal -waves of water to move upon the surface of a stagnant lake, with a certain constant velocity, and to enter a narrow channel leading out of the lake ; suppose, then, another similar cause to have...
Page 98 - The intoxicating property of the urine is capable of being propagated ; for every one who partakes of it has his urine similarly affected. Thus, with a very few amanitas, a party of drunkards may keep up their debauch for a week.
Page 155 - It was in May 1801 that I discovered by reflecting on the beautiful experiments of Newton a law which appears to me to account for a greater variety of interesting phenomena than any other optical principle that has yet been made known.