CHAPTEE II. 



VISIT TO EUROPE. — MEETING DISTINGUISHED SCIENTISTS IN ENG- 

 LAND, FRANCE, AND SWITZERLAND. 



In the spring of 1832 Mr. Lea went to Europe with his family, where 

 he met the prominent men of science, and opportunity was afforded him 

 of exair.iniug the best collections of the time. He was present at the 

 second meeting of the British Association, which in that year was held 

 at Oxford. He had met Dr. Buckland previously, who invited him to 

 be present at the meeting. In London he had been present at a meet- 

 ing of the Geological Society, where he met most of the leading geolo- 

 gists of Great Britain, who were discussing an important point in geol- 

 ogy. Previous to going to Oxford Mr. Lea went to the north of Eng- 

 land and on returning through the middle counties he traveled with 

 William Smith, who was then on his way to Oxford to receive the Copley^ 

 medal which was voted him by the British Association. Mr. Smith was 

 called " the Father of British Geology" on account of his having been 

 the first geologist in England who attempted to classify the rocks of 

 that country' by their characteristic fossils, and he was said to have pre- 

 ceded MM. Cuvier and Bronguiart in that important step which gave 

 such an impulse to this great branch of scientific knowledge. 



While at Oxford Mr. Lea made the acquaintance of many distin- 

 guished scientists, and was invited by Dr. Buckland into the "robing 

 room," where four of Britain's most eminent men. Brown, Faraday,* 

 Dalton,t and Brewster, were to put on scarlet robes before going into 

 the theater, where the degree of LL. D. was to be conferred upon them. 

 It was interesting to see the Quaker Dalton, the discoverer of the 

 atomic theory, robed and his white head covered with a velvet cap. 

 When the vice-chancellor mentioned each name there was much ap- 

 X)lause, but when the name of Dalton was given the ai)plause was loud, 

 long, and reiterated. The other distinguished men to whom Mr. Lea 

 was introduced at this meeting were Brunei, Conybeare, Davies Gil- 

 bert, Dr. McBride and others whom he had i>reviously met in London. 

 At the observatory he was introduced to Sir David Brewster and Kigo, 

 the astronomer. At the geological meeting he listened to a most inter- 

 esting discussion upon the "injection of veins," between the Eev. Mr. 



* Mr. Lea had a letter to Professor Faraday from Professor Silliman. The former 

 was then deliveriug a course of lectures iu Locdon, to which he invited him. 



t Mr. Lea had previously visited Dr. Dalton in his laboratory at Manchester, where 

 he was introduced by Dr. Henry. 



XII 



