576 Analysis of Books, fyc. 



* At the same time that he thus gratified my desires (continues Mr. 

 Faraday) as to scientific employment, he still advised me not to give up 

 the prospects I had before me ; telling me that science was a harsh 

 mistress, and, in a pecuniary point of view, poorly rewarding those who 

 devoted themselves to her service. He smiled at my notion of the supe- 

 rior moral feelings of philosophic men, and said he would leave me to 

 the experience of a few years to set me right on that matter.' 



Mr. Faraday entered upon his appointment in March, 1813, and in 

 October of the same year, accompanied Sir II. Davy in his con- 

 tinental tour, as his secretary and experimental assistant. Napo- 

 leon, who had sternly refused his passport to several English 

 noblemen, with a liberality worthy of his character as a patron of 

 science, allowed Sir H. Davy to travel through France; his purpose 

 was to visit the extinct volcanoes in Auvergne, and to examine that 

 which was still in activity at Naples. Dr. Paris has given an 

 interesting account of the occurrences in this tour, principally 

 supplied from the journal of Mr. Faraday and the communications 

 of Mr. Underwood, who, though a detenu, had, during the whole 

 war, enjoyed the indulgence of residing in Paris. This gentleman 

 acted there as cicerone to his distinguished friend, and Lady Davy, 

 who accompanied him in his tour. 



4 Nothing could exceed the liberality, unaffected kindness, and atten- 

 tion with which the savans of France received the English philosopher. 

 Their conduct was the triumph of science over national animosity.' 



An unknown substance having been accidentally discovered by a 

 manufacturer of saltpetre at Paris, but kept secret by him several 

 years, he at length communicated it to M. Clement, who had found 

 that it might be resolved into a violet-coloured vapour. M. Ampere, 

 having received some of it from M. Clement, transferred it into the 

 hands of Davy. This unknown substance, which had been desig- 

 nated X, was iodine. The first opinion of the French chemists was, 

 that it was either a compound of muriatic acid or of chlorine. The 

 first public notice of its existence was given by Clement at the 

 Institute, on the 29th of November, 1813 ; and at the meeting of the 

 6th of December, Gay-Lussac, who had only received some X a few 

 days previous, presented a short note, in which he gave the name of 

 iode to the body, and threw out a hint as to its great analogy to 

 chlorine, at the same time stating that it might be considered as a 

 simple substance, or as a compound of oxygen. On the 13th of 

 the same month, a letter from Davy to Cuvier was read, in which 

 he offered a general view of its chemical nature and relations ; and 

 on the 20th of January, 1814, he communicated to the Royal 

 Society a long and elaborate paper, dated Paris, December 10, 

 1813, entitled, 'Some Experiments and Observations on a New 

 Substance which becomes a violet-coloured Gas by Heat.' 



On the 13th of December, Sir Humphrey Davy was elected a 

 corresponding member of the French Institute, 48 members being 

 present, and Gayton de Morveau being the only person who opposed 

 his election. 



