MancJiester Mevioirs, Vol. Iv. (191 1), No. 19. 7 



was astonished how any man of sense could be taken in 

 with such a tissue of absurdities. Mr. Gilbert called on 

 Dr. Wollaston (probably to discover what could have 

 induced a man of Dr. WoUaston's sagacity and caution to 

 adopt such opinions), and was not sparing in laying the 

 absurdities of the theory, such as they had been repre- 

 sented to him by Davy, in the broadest point of view. 



"Dr. Wollaston begged Mr. Gilbert to sit down, and 

 listen to a few facts which he would state to him. He 

 then went over all the principal facts at that time known 

 respecting the salts ; mentioned the alkaline carbonates 

 and bicarbonates, the oxalate, binoxalate, and quadrox- 

 alate of potash, carbonic oxide and carbonic acid, olefiant 

 gas and carburetted hydrogen ; and doubtless many other 

 similar compounds, in which the proportion of one of the 

 constituents increases in a regular ratio. Mr. Gilbert 

 went awa\- a convert to the truth of the atomic theor}- ; 

 and he had the merit of convincing Davy that his former 

 opinions on the subject were wrong." 



Thomson goes on to say that Dav\- " ever after was a 

 strenuous supporter " of the atomic theory. This puts his 

 support of the theory far beyond its true value. Davy 

 was never enthusiastic about the doctrine of atoms as 

 such, and he much preferred the term " proportion " to 

 "atom." The following passage, published in 181 1, 

 probably represents his mature opinion on the subject : — 

 " it is not, I conceive, on any speculations upon the 

 ultimate particles of matter, that the true theory of 

 ultimate proportions must ultimately rest."'* 



Dalton himself was far from satisfied with the re- 

 ception accorded to his theor\-. Hope, of Edinburgh, 



• Thom.son, '' History of Chemistry," %-ol. 2, p. 293. 



* /'////. Trans.. iSii, Bakerian Lecture, or Davy's Works, vol. 5, p. 326. 



