250 GREAT MEN OF SCIENCE 



the same place! If Count Rumford's foundation, the 

 Royal Institution, had had no other success to show, the fact 

 alone that it was a place suited to the work of Davy and 

 Faraday would have been the finest possible justification for 

 all time, of the foundation of the Institute, and its nature and 

 constitution. 



Faraday had already begun to experiment with simple 

 appliances, so that he was immediately able to be an efficient 

 help to Davy, in his preparation for experiments, and in the 

 experiments themselves, among others also in the dangerous 

 investigation of chloride of nitrogen then being undertaken 

 by Davy. At the same time he was continually and enthu- 

 siastically engaged on his own self-education in every direc- 

 tion, for which purpose he joined a small society of kindred 

 spirits, the 'City Philosophical Society,' the members of 

 which strove to educate themselves by evening discussions 

 and by holding, in turn, lectures. Then followed one of 

 Davy's long continental tours, and Faraday was able to 

 accompany him as his scientific assistant and also in a 

 general capacity. 



On his return, at the age of twenty-three, Faraday's inde- 

 pendent scientific life began, although his position as assis- 

 tant still remained for several years about the same. Davy 

 first entrusted to him small independent chemical investiga- 

 tions, in which however he soon progressed to valuable dis- 

 coveries, such as the first preparation of the compounds of 

 chlorine with carbon, which he thoroughly investigated and 

 analysed quantitatively. He was also busy on researches on 

 sound, while at the same time he had to prepare the experi- 

 mental lectures given at the Royal Institution, and to act as 

 assistant during them. Here he was full of ideas concerning 

 everything that could serve for the effective and worthy pro- 

 duction of such lectures. He had also begun himself to 

 hold lectures in the City Philosophical Society, which he 

 delivered extempore, but nevertheless prepared carefully in 



