THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. 239 



but, as it often happens, his discovery was neglected in his own 

 country until taken up and adopted abroad. Young was elected 

 Fellow as soon as he reached his twenty- first year, which confirms 

 to a certain extent the stories of his remarkable youthful attain- 

 ments. 



Besides being an eminent physician and writer on medical sub- 

 jects, he delivered a course of philosophical lectures, served on the 

 Board of Longitude, edited the " Nautical Almanac," and, most 

 important of all, prosecuted his profound studies upon the Egyp- 

 tian hieroglyphics, which led in 1818 to the successful interpreta- 

 tion of these hitherto sealed histories. 



1806 is the date of the Bakerian lecture before the Royal So- 

 ciety, " On Some Chemical Agencies in Electricity," by Sir Hum- 

 phry Davy, then but twenty-eight years old, but already the best- 

 known chemist of his day. This brilliant memoir produced a 

 profound sensation, and his lecture-room at the Royal Institute 

 became a fashionable resort. Its scientific import was at once 

 recognized over all Europe. 



Although England and France were at war, the Institute of 

 France awarded Davy the handsome prize of three thousand 

 francs, offered by Bonaparte for the experiments best calculated 

 to promote science ; and when, a few years later, Napoleon allowed 

 him to travel through France, the Institute elected him corre- 

 sponding member of the first class. Upon his return to Eng- 

 land, in 1815, Sir Humphry began his memorable investigation 

 upon fire-damp, which had caused such havoc to life by explosions 

 in the coal-mines. 



As the outcome of his experiments was the invention of the 

 safety-lamp known by his name, one of the many beneficent con- 

 tributions which science is constantly conferring upon humanity. 

 Davy deliberately refused to gain the fortune which its invention 

 would surely have brought him, but the coal -miners showed their 

 gratitude by presenting him with a handsome service of plate, 

 and the Government conferred a baronetcy upon him. He re- 

 ceived all the honors of the Royal Society, the Copley, the Royal 

 and the Rumford medals, and was president of the society for a 

 number of years. Sir Humphry was a highly imaginative, poeti- 

 cal writer, and a consummate scientific lecturer, but his presidency 

 of the society was not among his most successful acts. After he 

 had become famous, wealthy, and courted, he became arrogant 

 and haughty, and, forgetful of his own lowly origin, talked much 

 of aristocracy and high connections ; so that, when he died, many 

 recalled the epigram pronounced upon poor Hooke. Davy kept 

 up the custom of his predecessor in office, Sir Joseph Banks, by 

 appearing in a full court-dress when presiding over the transac- 

 tions of the society. Withal, his presidency was a brilliant one, 



