at the Royal Institution, 1 900-1 907. 401 



thoughts and that it was made the subject of experimental inquiry 

 by Boyle, who communicated his results to the Royal Society in 

 1682. Boyle's confession, that he "never handled any part of 

 natural philosophy that was so troublesome and full of hardships," 

 is one which probably is now thoroughly appreciated both at the 

 Royal Institution and at Leiden. 



The freezing-point and boiling-point of water were agreed upon 

 as fixed points by the beginning of the eighteenth century. The air 

 thermometer was first brought under notice in 1703-04 by Amontons, 

 a French observer, whose work was not appreciated at the time. 

 Amontons was the first to recognise that the use of air as a thermo- 

 metric substance led to the inference of the existence of a zero of 

 temperature ; the value he arrived at was - 240°. More refined 

 observations made by Lambert in 1779 gave the value - 270^ which 

 is almost identical with - 273° now accepted. 



In recent years we have learnt to do almost what we will at tem- 

 peratures not far removed from this presumed absolute zero. Liquid 

 air is now dealt with as though it were water : and from it oxygen 

 is prepared on a commercial scale by submitting liquid air to fractional 

 distillation, this method having superseded all others. 



A long series of researches has been required to advance our com- 

 mand over matter at low temperatures to its present remarkable 

 state of perfection. When the history of the subject comes to be 

 dealt with, it will be difficult to over-estimate the importance of the 

 contributions made from the laboratory of the Roval Institution. 



The Future of Scientific Research at the Royal 

 Institution. 



Faraday, in 1813, in describing his work as chemical assistant 

 under Sir H. Davy, spoke of himself as "constantly engaged in 

 observing the works of Nature and tracing the manner in which she 

 directs the arrangement and order of the world." 



It may be surmised, that in giving the sum of 100,000 dollars to 

 the Royal Institution to provide it with further means for the investi- 

 gation of the relations and co-relations existing between man and his 

 Creator, Mr. Thomas G. Hodgkins was mindful of the position in the 

 history of scientific discovery which the Institution can claim to 

 occupy, and was in some measure aware that it has contributed, 

 through the work done by its professors and in its laboratories, in an 

 altogether remarkable manner, to our knowledge of natural forces. 



Nowhere else can the feeling arise in the same way in the mind of 

 the scientific worker of being in a Holy of Holies ; but how many 

 have such a feeling ? The vast import of the discoveries made within 

 the narrow precincts of the Institution is reaUsed probably only by 

 very few. 



Vol. XIX. (No. 102) 2 d 



