I JOSEPH PRIESTLEY 5 



livered, but I distinctly remember the smile of approbation 

 with which he usually received them : nor did he fail to 

 point out, in a very encouraging manner, the ingenuity or 

 force of any remarks that were made, when they merited 

 these characters. His object, as well as Dr. Aikin's, was to 

 engage the students to examine and decide for themselves, 

 uninfluenced by the sentiments of any other persons." * 



It would be difficult to give a better description 

 of a model teacher than that conveyed in these 

 words. 



From his earliest days, Priestley had shown a 

 strong bent towards the study of nature; and his 

 brother Timothy tells us that the boy put spiders 

 into bottles, to see how long they would live in the 

 same air — a curious anticipation of the investi- 

 gations of his later years. At Nantwich, where 

 he set up a school, Priestley informs us that he 

 bought an air pump, an electrical machine, and 

 other instruments, in the use of w^hich he in- 

 structed his scholars. But he does not seem to 

 have devoted himself seriously to physical science 

 until 1766, when he had the great good fortune to 

 meet Benjamin Franklin, whose friendship he ever 

 afterwards enjoyed. Encouraged by Franklin, he 

 wrote a " History of Electricity,'' which was pub- 

 lished in 1767, and appears to have met with con- 

 siderable success. 



In the same year, Priestley left Warrington to 

 become the minister of a congregation at Leeds; 



* Life and Correspondence of Dr. Priestley, by J. T. 

 Rutt. Vol. L [). 50. 



