ROYAL INSTITUTION AND SOCIETY OF ARTS. 657 



ens," and on " Chimney Fireplaces." The Rumford medal was now 

 presented to the Royal Society " for discoveries tending to improve 

 the theories of fire, of heat, of light, and of colors, and to new inven- 

 tions and contrivances by which the generation, and preservation, and 

 management of heat and of light may be preserved." The endow- 

 ment of the medal consisted of 1,000 stock, and was, I may add, pre- 

 sented on the first award, in 1802, to its founder. Meanwhile Rum- 

 ford went to Ireland and fitted up laundries and model kitchens, cot- 

 tage fireplaces, and model lime-kilns ; served in Bavaria, preserving 

 by his firmness and skill the neutrality of that country ; and finally 

 determined to return to America, but was deterred from carrying out 

 this project by his anxiety to launch the Royal Institution. In the 

 mind of Rumford the dominant idea was originally that of bettering 

 the condition and increasing the comforts of the poor. A society was 

 formed for this, purpose, and out of it sprang, from a proposal of Count 

 Rumford, a scheme for forming a new " Establishment in London for 

 diffusing the Knowledge of Useful Mechanical Improvements." The 

 two great objects of the institution were declared to be, the diffusion 

 of the knowledge aforesaid and the teaching of the application of 

 scientific discoveries to the improvement of arts and manufactures in 

 this country. To fulfill the first object were to be exhibited full-sized 

 working models of fireplaces, kitchens, stoves, grates, boilers, coppers, 

 etc., and smaller models of houses, bridges, spinning-wheels, and of all 

 " such other machinery and useful instruments as the managers of the 

 institution shall deem worthy of the public notice." 



In order to carry into effect the second object of this institution 

 namely, " teaching the application of science to the useful purposes 

 oil life " a lecture-room was to be fitted up " for philosophical lectures 

 and experiments, and a complete laboratory and philosophical appa- 

 ratus, with the necessary instruments, will be provided for making 

 chemical and other philosophical experiments." On the 7th of March, 

 1779, a meeting was held at the house of Sir Joseph Banks, at which 

 the list of original fifty-four proprietors and subscribers of fifty guineas 

 was read. In addition to the names of Rumford and Banks are found 

 on this list those of Angerstein, Joseph Grote, the Duke of Devon- 

 shire, Earl Spencer, Earl Holland, Lord Palmerston, the Earl of Win- 

 chelsea, and William Wilberforce. By the end of June, 1801, the 

 Royal Institution had received upward of 20,000 in subscriptions. 

 The site of four houses had been purchased in Albemarle Street, pro- 

 fessors of chemistry, physics, and mechanics, had been engaged, daily 

 lectures were delivered, a spacious chemical laboratory had been 

 erected, workshops for making models had been built, and skilled 

 workmen engaged for making apparatus and models of various kinds. 

 Early in this year Count Rumford wrote to his daughter that the 

 Royal Institution was " not only the fashion but the rage," and men- 

 tions incidentally that " we have found a nice, able man for this place 



VOL. VI. 42 



