relative to the late Sir Humphry Davy. 297 



of Government, and never did for himself. It is under- 

 stood, however, that a nobleman, whose name I could men- 

 tion, made for him an application for the distinction in ques- 

 tion. This, and its failure, which may have been spoken of 

 at tlie time, might have given rise to the report that he him- 

 self had petitioned for it. 



As regards the second ; if the letters K.B. were ever ap- 

 pended to his name, I feel equally confident that it must have 

 been by mistake. How highly improbable it is that any man 

 in London society would expose himself to the ridicule of 

 using an honorary distinction before it had been formally con- 

 ferred on him ! 



As a kind of confirmation that the letters were attached to 

 his name, I have had pointed out to me that, in a paper pub- 

 lished in the Philosophical Transactions for 1823, Sir Hum- 

 phry Davy is styled the Right Honourable. 



The heading of the paper is the following — 



" On Fossil Shells by L. W. Billwyn, Esq., F.R.S. In a 

 Letter addressed to the Right Honourable Sir Humphry 

 Davy, Bart., President." 



Now, keeping in mind that the President of the Royal So- 

 ciety is no wise concerned in the editing of the Philosophical 

 Transactions, a duty performed by the junior secretary, does 

 not the mistake of title in this instance tend to show that the 

 letters K.B. might have been attached to his name on some 

 other occasion without his knowledge ? It may be worthy of 

 remark that, in the same volume of the Transactions, whether 

 in the heading of his own papers, or of other papers commu- 

 nicated by him (excepting Mr Dillwyn's) the titles of Bart., 

 and President of the Royal Society, merely, were affixed to 

 his name, and so always after, although then foreign mem- 

 ber of the French Institute, and honorary member of most of 

 the scientific societies of Europe. 



For the sake of my Brother's memory, will you do me the 

 kindness to insert this letter in the Philosophical Journal. 

 I remain, my dear Sir, very faithfully yours, 



J. Davy. 



To Professor Jameson. 



