408 Professor Tyndall [May 3, 10, and 17, 



in the history of the theory. His inference from his experiments 

 was, as many of you know, that heat is a form of motion. 



The town of Woburn, connected in my memory with a cultivated 

 companion, with genial sunshine and the bright colouring of American 

 trees, is nine miles distant from the city of Boston. In North Woburn, 

 a little way off, on March 26th, 1763, Eumford was born. He came 

 of people who had to labour for their livelihood, who tilled their 

 own fields, cut their own timber and fuel, worked at their varied 

 trades, and thus maintained the independence of New England 

 yeomen. Thompson's father died wlien he was two years old. His 

 mother married again, and had children by her second husband ; but 

 the affection between her and her first-born remained strong and 

 unbroken to the end of her life. The arrangements made for the 

 maintenance of mother and son throw some light upon their position. 

 She was to have the use of one-half of a garden ; the privilege of land 

 to raise beans for sauce ; to receive within a specified time 80 weight 

 of beef, 8 bushels of rye, 2 bushels of malt, and 2 barrels of cider. 

 Finally, she had the liberty of gathering ajDples to bake, and three 

 bushels of apples every year. 



The fatherless boy had been placed under the care of a guardian, 

 from whom his stepfather, Josiah Pierce, received a weekly allowance 

 of two shillings and fivepence for the child's maintenance. Young 

 Thompson received his first education from Mr. John Fowle, a 

 graduate of Harvard College, described by Dr. Ellis as "an accom- 

 plished and faithful man." He also went to a school at Byfield, kept 

 by a relation of his own. At the age of eleven, he was placed for a 

 time under the tuition of Mr. Hill, " an able teacher in Medford," 

 adjoining "Woburn. The lad's mind was ever active, and his inven- 

 tion incessantly exercised, but for the most part on subjects beside his 

 daily work. In relation to that work, he came to be regarded as 

 " indolent, flighty, and unpromising." His guardians, at length 

 thinking it advisable to change his vocation, apjirenticed him in 

 October 1766, to Mr. John Ai)pleton, of Salem, an importer of British 

 goods. Here, however, instead of wooing customers to his master's 

 counter, he occupied himself with tools and implements hidden 

 beneath it. He is reported to have been a skilful musician, passion- 

 ately fond of music of every kind ; and during his stay with 

 Mr. Appleton, whenever he could do so without being heard, he 

 solaced his leisure by performances on the violin. 



By the Rev. Thomas Barnard, minister of Salem, and his son, 

 young Thompson was taught algebra, geometry, and astronomy. By 

 self-practice, he became an able and accurate draughtsman. He did 

 not escape that last infirmity of ingenious minds — the desire to con- 

 struct a perpetual motion. He experimented with fireworks, and was 

 once seriously burnt by the unexpected ignition of his materials. His 

 inquisitiveness is illustrated by the questions put to his friend Mr. 

 Baldwin in 1769. He wishes to be told the direction pursued by the 



