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Show DOES THE EARTH'S CRUST VI-URATE! VI-URATE! Mr. William T. Stciger, of Maryland, Mary-land, has communicated, in letters to lion. Charles Mason and Prof. A. 11. llocsslcr, of Washington, the results of some ingenious experiments upon the changes in the direction of gravity, and his conclusions from them. The latter gentleman, who is I'nitcd States geologist, geol-ogist, referred the letters to the Liberal Lib-eral Club, where they were read the other night, but have not yet been discussed. dis-cussed. Mr. Stcigcr's general conclusions conclu-sions are as follows: A That there is a general vibratory movement or elongation of the whole erust of the earth, whieh movement is necessarily slow, and depends upon the aggregate action of our planetary system. sys-tem. li That in addition to this movement move-ment there is another, due to the direct action of the sun and moon, the power of tho former being derived from its immensely superior size, and that of the latter from its proximity to our globe. C That these regular elongations are accompanied by irregular disturbances, disturb-ances, attributable to local causes, chietiy changes of atmospheric pressure, pres-sure, and gradual accretions and sudden diminutions of the eternal matter of the cru-t. Careful observations upon bullets suspended by a silk fibre to poles firmly fixed in the ground, shaded 1'rom the wind, and swinging freely, as well as upon accurately adjusted dipping-needles, first suggested to this observer's ob-server's mind that the earth is a plastic bo ly, yielding to external forces, and changing its contour constantly in obedience obe-dience to their attractions. That independently in-dependently of the tides of the ocean there are also two more tides of the whole erust in each twenty-four hours, which tides are in themselves insensible earthquakes and rise to a bight, and occur at times, depending upon the relative position of the sun, moon, and planets. If these points can be demonstrated demon-strated by further observations the following fol-lowing important consequences of his hypothesis are thrown out by the author. 1. It confirms the nebular theory and the liquified condition of our planet. 2. It will throw light upon the causes of earthqaakes or violent undulations undu-lations of the crust; these, in accordance accord-ance with the true pathological theory, being only prolongations of the mild disturbances which normally take place. 3. It will account for the so-called "neap" tides. -1. It will go far to explain the cause of storms and irregular winds, and why storms movein curved lines, as recently ascertained. 5. The extraordinary risings and fallings fall-ings of the barometer are in part due to this cause; and 6. It may go far to account for the conflicts aad disagreements in those delicate astronomical observations ascribed to defective mechanical construction con-struction of the instruments or clumsy manipulation of them. The importance of these consequences conse-quences to the progress of general science will doubtless cause this hypothesis, hy-pothesis, which seems very plausible, especially as relating to earthquakes, to be carefully enquired into by competent compe-tent physicists. iV. Y. World. |