SKETCH OF SIR LYON PLATFAIR. 121 



edge passes into scientific knowledge." An indication of one of the 

 ways in which he would have this system put into operation is given 

 in a letter he wrote to the ofiicers of a London school suggesting the 

 devotion of a certain property to the formation of chemical and sci- 

 entific museums in relation to commerce. No boy enjoying the advan- 

 tages of such a museum " need leave the upper classes of the school 

 without being able to examine the various kinds of merchandise which 

 he will meet with in his occupations, so far, at least, as would enable 

 him to test chemically their relative excellences, or detect their adulter- 

 ations. No boy need then leave the school without having had his 

 physical and political geography copiously illustrated by objects of 

 natural history, in their relation to the imports and exports, upon 

 which the prosperity of the country so largely depends." 



Professor Playfair is a member of numerous scientific and other 

 societies, British and foreign, and of several foreign orders. Of his 

 literary work. Lord Rayleigh remarked in introducing him to the 

 British Association : " The other day, engaged in some work of my 

 own, I happened to look up the catalogue of science papers issued by 

 the Royal Society, and I came across the list of Sir Lyon Playfair's 

 early contributions to science, most of them made before I was born 

 or thought of. One was on the new fatty acid in the butter of nut- 

 meg. Another was ' Lectures on the Application of Physiology to 

 the Rearing and Feeding of Cattle.' A third was on nitro-prussids, 

 a new class of salts ; and a fourth on ' The Study of Abstract Science 

 essential to the Progress of Industry.' " He edited, conjointly with W. 

 Gregory, Baron Liebig's " Chemistry in its Applications to Agriculture 

 and Physiology." Besides numerous scientific memoirs, he has pub- 

 lished, on general subjects, " Science in its Relations to Labor," a speech 

 delivered on the anniversary of the People's College at Sheffield, in 

 1853 ; " The Food of Man in Relation to his Useful Work," a lecture, 

 1865 ; " On Primary and Technical Education," two lectures, 1870 ; 

 " On Teaching Universities and Examining Boards," an address to the 

 Philosophical Institution of Edinburgh, 1872; "Universities in their 

 Relation to Professional Education," an address to the St. Andrews 

 Graduates' Association, 1873 ; and " The Progress of Sanitary Re- 

 form," an address delivered at the annual meeting of the Social Sci- 

 ence Association at Glasgow, 1874. 



