Sir Humphry Davy, Bart. 7 



dinner, he was much in the habit of attending evening 

 parties and devoting much of his time to amusement. When 

 his duties did not keep him in town, he often made short 

 visits to friends residing in the neighbourhood of London, 

 or he went to some good trouting stream, and enjoyed the 

 country and his favourite exercise of fishing. 



After the conclusion of the session of 1801, he visited his 

 friends at Bristol and Penzance. In 1804, he visited Scot- 

 land and the western islands. In the summer of 1805, he 

 made a journey to the North of Ireland for the purpose of 

 examining the giant's causeway, and passed through the 

 greater part of the island, indulging, when favourable op- 

 portunities occurred, in his favourite exercise of angling. 

 In the mountain district of Donegal he *' met with a singu- 

 lar race of beings, the most gifted with vague curiosity of 

 any men I have seen. They asked questions, without consi- 

 dering whether they were civil or uncivil, and seemed little 

 daunted by reproof. * Where do you come from V ' Ra- 

 melton.' * Do you belong there?' * No.' * What place 

 do you belong V ' London.' ' Is it war or peace V ' War.' 



* Have the English lost any men?' 'There has been 

 no battle lately.' ' When was the last?' * Lord Nelson's. 

 Did you never hear of him V * No.' 'What is your name?' 



* It is a name you have never heard and never will 

 hear of.' " 



They all agreed that there were old men who knew the 

 history of the Finns and Finn Macoul in Gaelic, but no 

 one could shew me the abode of these sages. His senti- 

 ments in reference to the political state of that lovely, but 

 unfortunate portion of our empire, is worthy of note : " All 

 are slaves, without the probability of becoming free ; they 

 are in the state of equality which the Sans culottes wished 

 for in France ; and until emulation and riches, and the love 

 of clothes and neat houses are introduced among them, 

 there will be no permanent improvement; changes in political 

 institutions can at first do little towards serving: them. It 

 must be by improving their habits, by diffusing manufactures, 

 by destroying middle men, by dividing farms and by pro- 

 moting industry." In the note book which he carried with 

 him, he inserted observations on the geology of Ireland. 

 His power and deep observation were ever active, and he 

 allowed no opportunity to escape of benefiting science, 



