1752. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. 453 much improved: To this I muft Now, my lords, if a man has ten now nothing but barren mountains and inacceffible valleys. The rents of thefe eftates will, I hope, be fufficient for the whole expence neceffary for thefe purposes; and befides the fecurity against any future rebel. Alion, it will be money profitably laid out by the publick, becaufe by the increase of rich and induftrious people in that country, the publick revenue will probably in a few years be increafed, much more than the intereft of the money paid by the publick for thofe eftates, could ever have amounted to. E I hope, I have now convinced your lordships, that this bill, if paffed into a law, will probably anfwer both the falutary ends proposed by the legislature, and fteadily pursued ever fince the laft rebellion; but fuppofe fome of your lordships fhould till remain in doubt as to the good effects of this bill, yet no one can remain in doubt of its being neceffa ry to pass it before the end of this feffion; for you cannot now alter the act I have mentioned of the zoth of his majefty's reign, and unless that act be altered, or this bill paffed, before the end of this feffion, fome, if not all, of thefe highland forfeited eftates must be fold by publick fale before the beginning of next feffion. If any of them are fold by publick fale, it is certain that fome trustee for the forfeiting family will be the highest bidder, and confequently must be confirmed as the purchafer: Thus the difaffected chief will again recover poffeffion of the estate of his family, which, I am perfuaded, every one of your lordships will moft heartily be for preventing; and as it has not been fo much as fuggefted, that any bad effect can before next fellion arife from paffing this bill into a law, I hope the queftion for its being committed will be unanimoufly agreed to. My lords, as to the window tax, or any other tax that ought to be levied in Scotland, I confefs myfelf Mmm entirely 1 454 Mr. PENROSE on GRAVITATION defended. O& entirely ignorant; but I must observe, [This JOURNAL to be continued in our next.] To the AUTHOR of the LONDON SIR, Ο C N reading your Magazine of Auguft, I there found (p. 356.) fome remarks on a Treatife of Mr. Penrofe's, concerning attraction and gravitation; and as I imagine, the author of that letter is D mistaken in fome of his remarks thereon, I should, on that account, be glad if you would give the following letter a place in your next Magazine. That a folid gravitates, or is moved towards the earth, is a fact, I fuppofe, no perfon will deny; but the question in difpute feems to be, whether by gravitation we mean a cause or an effect? If it is a caufe, I imagine, Mr. Penrofe and a great E many others would be glad to have it explained. If it is an effect, as most of our greatest philofophers have thought, and that this effect is occafioned by impulfe, then its caufe must be fought for fome where elfe, and not in the gravitating or attracting body. This was the opinion of the great Sir Ifaac Newton; F for in his Opticks, p. 351, he fays, "What I call attraction, may be performed by impulfe, or by fome other means unknown to me. I ufe this word here, to fignify only in general any force, by which bodies tend towards one another, whatfoever be the caufe." Here we find Sir Ifaac Newton tells us, we are to un derftand by the word attraction, only an effect; and then fays, if it is not performed by impulfe, he is ignorant of its caufe. And Mr. Boyle (fee Boulton's Epitome, vol. 2. p. 235.) defcribes it thus," At tion evidently appears to be a species of pulfion, and fuch an one as is ufually termed trufion, as when a gardener drives his wheelbarrow before him without letting go his hold." Mr. Boyle feems fearful, left, when he mentions attraction, any perfon fhould think he meant by it a caufe; therefore he not only tells us it is an effect, but likewise describes, as plain as he can, how, and in what manner, this effect is produced, as that it is evidently fo by a fpecies of pulfion, even no lefs then the motion of a wheelbarrow, which does not move of itself, but is forced forward by the gardener pushing behind it. G I am afraid the gentleman who wrote this letter, has not read Mr. Penrofe's Treatife on Electricity with fufficient attention ; and therefore could with he would give it a fecond perufal, by which he would find, that he did not produce this experiment of Mr. Boyle as a paradox, but as a proof to confirm what he had faid before. Moreover, the author of this letter fays, "This paradox is eafily accounted for from the principles of hydrostaticks; for as water preffes equally every way, if a heavy body be funk in water, and the preffure of the water upon the top of it kept off, until the column of water, that fhould be upon the top of it, be exactly equal in weight to the weight of that heavy body, the preffure upwards of the column of water below it, which is then exactly equal to the preffure of that body downwards, will prevent its finking any lower and if it should be funk fo deep, that the column of water, which should be upon the top of it, is heavier than the body itfelf, the preffure upwards of the column of water below it, which is then fuperior to its preffure downwards, will buoy it up until it comes to an equilibrium. The reason why every column of water in a veffel is preffed upwards, is because it is fo preffed by the action or pressure of all the furrounding columns upon it at the bottom of the veffel, in which the water is contained." How this is accounted for from the principles of hydroftaticks, I am entirely ignorant, and fhould be glad to be farther informed. I fuppofe, by principles of hydroftaticks he means their laws or effects, and thefe I always looked on as a hiftory of experiments, made in order to know the different weights of different bodies, and by that means to fhew that a fquare inch of fome bodies will be found equal in weight to a foot fquare of fome others, when hung at each end of a balance; as alfo to prove, that the fame body will always weigh more in a thinner me 1752. Gravity, Levity, Attraction, &c. confider'd. dium then in a denfer, or where there is a greater refiftance. And this gentleman has very well accounted for Mr. Boyle's experiment after the fame manner. For he has given us a very just relation of its effects, but feems to have ftill left the caufe for fome future confideration and discovery. 455 for our prejudices imbibed by education or converfation, I doubt not but this one experiment would be fufficient to convince us, that the attracting or gravitating power is not in the folid, as aforefaid, but is performed from an impulfe from without. As to the gentleman's explanation of in the glafs veffels, I am entirely of his opinion, and can affure him the author of the Treatife on Electricity is so too, viz. That the glass veffels keep off the preffure of the air or atmofphere from above, and admit that from below. At the end of his letter he concludes thus, "If there were no fuch thing as attraction in the earth, or gravitation in the air, I fhould be glad Mr. Penrose would tell me, why the air or atmosphere preffeth equally every way; or why a cold, grofs, and denfe air fhould prefs in upon a warm, fine, and rarified air." Now, I think, this experiment has A the phænomenon of the water being kept clearly proved what Mr. Penrose brought it to do, viz. "That the earth has no inherent or intrinfick power of attraction, nor a defcending body any of gravitation;" but that all this power is given them from without. For we here find, that the gold will fink just fo far, in the water, and no farther, than till the refistance below B, is equal to the pressure from above, and when it is once arrived at that place, it there remains immoveable, unless either the refiftance is leffened from below, or the preffure is encreased from above; whereas, were the moving power either in the gravitating folid, or in the attracting earth, it must continue to move forward till both bodies met, which we find it will not do without a fresh preffure or pulfion being added to it from above; fo that I think, nothing can be more clearly proved by experiments than this, viz. That the force which moves the folid is from without it, and not inherent in the folid itself: Let us put a cafe to illustrate this. That there is no fuch thing as attracti on in the earth, I believe, has been provCed: But how he could think that Mr. Penrofe fhould fay the air does not gravitate, I can't imagine, unless it were from too flight a reading of his pamphlet ; would he give it another reading, he would then find, p. 25, that he fays, That by the preffure (or, as this gentleman will have it, the gravitation) of the air, the terraqueous globe is kept folid and entire; and that a cold or denfe air is always endeavouring to prefs into the place poffeffed by an air that is finer or rarer; and the method how he thinks this is performed, he seems to have laid down (tho' briefly) in a very plain manner, D E There are, we know, befides others, two ways for a boat to come to LondonBridge, viz. one with the ftream, and the other by failing before the wind against the ftream: Now then, fuppofe one boat were coming to the bridge from above, with the ftream or tide; and another from below by failing before the wind, and against the tide, and a man were to be placed upon the bridge, who had never feen or heard how, or by what means, it was poffible for a boat to move (without any vifible means) upon the water; I doubt not but that man, on feeing both boats coming towards the bridge and directly meeting each other, would be apt to conclude, that the bridge attracted thefe F boats to it. To which we may add, that the fails of the boat may be fo regulated to the wind as to have an equal power with the tide, and whenever this is done, the boat must then ftand ftill; after which, either increafe the fails, or leffen the tide, and you will give a new motion to the boat. After the fame manner, on feeing a folid moving towards the earth, without any visible caufe to force it thither, we are milled to imagine the moving power must be either in the earth, or in the folid, or in both. And were it not G P. 24. I imagine the gravity and levity of bodies are only comparative, there being no fuch thing as abfolute gravity, or ab folute levity; and that this power depends in a great measure on the bigness and quantity of their feveral pores, and alfo on the density of the fluid with which they are filled; for the heaviest bodies, when their parts are expanded to a great degree, and by that means are made to admit grofs air thro' their pores, by which the greatest part of their particles meet with the fame refistance from below, that they are preffed with from above, they do thereby lofe their original weight, and become in effect the fame as bodies which we call naturally light; this we fee is effected on gold itfelf, when beat fo thin as to be what we call gold leaf: So on the contrary, bodies which have their parts greatly expanded and are therefore light bodies, when they come to be more clofely united together, and thereby to M m m 2 have 456 Mathematical Queftions. Hiftory of the BANK. O&. is expanded, occupies more space, and Another SOLUTION of the QUESTION in the Magazine of June laft, p. 264. (See p. 416.) Anfaver to the ARITHMETICAL QUESTION in June laft, p. 264. Of A, B had 1056 fquare yards, his fhare of payment C had 1100 ditto, and to pay D had 7667 ditto, and to pay 6 0 16 10 3 11 0 17 7 1 6 2 90 9 3530 HISTORY of the BANK of ENGLAND. T (See p. 414.) A The company were not to borrow under their common feal any greater fum, unlefs by act of parliament; and if any more fhould be borrowed under the common feal, all the members of the corporation were, in their private capacities, liable, in proportion to their feveral fhares, to the repayment of fuch money with intereft. The corporation was not to trade, or fuffer any perfon in truft for them to trade, with any of the effects of the corporation, in buying or felling any goods or merchandize; but they might deal in bills of exchange; as also in buying or felling bullion, gold, or filver; or B in felling goods mortgaged to them, not redeemed within three months after the time of redemption. And if the governor, or other members of the corporation, fhould, upon account of the corporation, purchafe any lands or revenues belonging to the crown; or lend to the government any money by way of anticipation on any part of the revenue, other HE Bank of England was projected in the year 1694, to fupply the gowernment with 1,200,000!. by subscription, on certain conditions; the principal whereof was, that for erecting a Bank in the city of London. This propofal being chearfully embraced by many of the chief citizens, they immediately applied to parliament: In pursuance whereof, and in confideration of the loan of 1,200,0col. the company was incorporated in the 5th and 6th years of king William and queen Mary, by the name of "The Governor and Company of the Bank of England." For fecuring this Ioan, the yearly sum of 140,000l. was to be kept apart in the receipt of the Royal Exchequer, payable out of the duties of excife; out of which the yearly fum of 100,rool. was applied to the ufe of the fubfcribers, being 81. per cent. for intereft, C and goool. per ann. for management. than 1752. HISTORY of the BANK of ENGLAND. 457. than fuch part only on which a credit of loan fhould be granted by parliament; then the governor, or members fo confenting to lend, fhould forfeit treble the value of the loan. By an act of parliament paffed in the that the capital ftock and fund of the now procured, on account of an abortive By another act of parliament paffed in the 7th year of queen Anne, the company were empowered to augment their capital stock to 4,402.3431. and the company to be continued till August 1, 1732, on condition of lending 400,000l. more to the government without intereft. And it was enacted, that no company in partnership fhould take money on their bills, or notes, payable on demand, or at any time lefs than fix months. This claufe was afterwards confined to partnerships of more than fix perfons. In 1713, the term and privileges of the Bank were continued to August 1, 1742; and in 1714, the aggregate fund was added by way of collateral fecurity to the Bank. In 1721, the Bank, by an agreement with the South-Sea company, had 4,000,000l. South-Sea ftock, together with the annuity attending the fame, transferred to them. In the year 1725, the Bank agreed to reduce, after Midfummer, 1727, the whole of the annuities payable to them to 41. per cent. except that of their original fund. In the year 1727, the governor and company of the Bank paid into the Exchequer 1,750,cool. for the purchase of an annuity of 70,000l. subject to redemption; which was chargeable on the duties of coals and culm. And by the fame act a million was ordered to be paid to them out of the finking fund, towards redeeming an annuity of 71,001l. 25. 3d. ž. first granted to them for cancelling Exchequer bills. In the year 1728, the governor and company of the Bank paid into the Exchequer 1,250,oool. for the purchase of Can annuity of 50,000l. chargeable on the furplus of the additional duties on foap and paper; certain linens, filks, calicoes, and stuffs; ftarch, exported coals, and the stamp duties; all which had been previously mortgaged to the South-Sea company. The fame year the government ordered 775,0271. 178. 10d. 4. to be paid to the Bank out of the finking fund, in full D E F In the 3d year of the reign of king George I. the intereft of part of the capital stock belonging to the Bark was G reduced to 51. per cent. when the Bank agreed to deliver up as many Exchequer bills as amounted to 2,000,000l. and to accept an annuity of roo,ocol. for the fame, payable out of the aggregate fund and duties upon houses, of their faid annuity of 71,0011. 25. 3d. 2. And alfo 500,cool. for redeeming a In the year 1742, the company engaged to fupply the government with the farther fum of 1,600,000l. at 3 per cent. in confideration whereof they obtained an a&t of parliament for enlarging their capital with that additional fum, and continuing the company till August 1, 1764. In the year 1746, the company agreed, that the fum of 986,80cl. due to them in Exchequer bills unfatisfied on the duties for licences to fell fpirituous liquors and ftrong waters by retail, fhould be cancelled and difcharged: And, in lieu thereof, to accept of an annuity of 39,4721. being the intereft on the faid fum at 41. per cent. to be charged on the fame fecurities. And the company alfo agreed to advance the further fum of 1,000,000!. into the Exchequer, upon the credit of the duties arifing by the malt and land tax, |