54 MEMOIR OF DR. DALTON, AND 



His habits were careful and economical, some say parsimo- 

 nious, but he was by no means wanting in generosity, and 

 gave fifty pounds to the building of the new Meeting House, 

 at a time when he certainly could have had but very little. 

 Such men do not often seek amusements, and he had only 

 one, a remnant of Cumberland, which he seemed never to 

 forget, at the same time also a wholesome exercise. Every 

 Thursday afternoon, about two o'clock, he went outside the 

 town to the " Dog and Partridge," now far within Manches- 

 ter, and played a few games at bowls. This he seems to have 

 thoroughly enjoyed, watching the bowls with the greatest 

 anxiety, and by his constant movements indicating, as people 

 are apt to do, the way in which they wish the bowl to move, 

 as if endeavouring to influence it. He shewed even there a 

 glimmer of the latent enthusiasm of his mind. He played 

 a fixed number of games and then ceased, took tea at the 

 inn, smoked his pipe, and went to his laboratory. Between 

 twelve and one he usually went to the Portico to read the news- 

 papers, but did not strongly speak on political subjects, so 

 that even the Johns family did not for a long time know that 

 he was Conservative in politics. At the same time Mr. Giles 

 says he was a Liberal, always voting for Liberals, so that 

 we may call him a liberal Conservative, which however 

 indefinite, is somewhat the character of such a man, con- 

 siderate, desirous of improvement, but not inclined to violent 

 change. 



His great delight was to visit the hills of Cumberland where 

 he first studied the clouds and the aurora, and when the usual 

 day of June had come, old Matthew Jobson came out of his 

 cottage under the slopes of Helvellyn, and looked out for 

 Dalton and his instruments. He ascended the hill from thirty 

 to forty times during his life, walking rapidly and with ease, 

 generally keeping before any party who accompanied him, so 

 as on one occasion to have brought out the exclamation from a 

 friend, " John, I wonder what thy legs are made of." In later 



