On an erroneous Statement respecting Mr. Faraday. 261 



ferva;, Ulva, Fungi', the second class includes the Aphro- 

 dites, the Filices, Musci, Fuci; the third class includes what 

 are called ambiguous plants, such as Zostera, Zamia, Cycas; 

 and the fourth class includes all plants whatever with conspi- 

 cuous flowers. This gradation, if not strictly correct with 

 regard to the examples adduced, is at least singularly beauti- 

 ful with regard to the view exhibited, as well as clearly de- 

 monstrative of the existence of a continued and ascending 

 scale, as founded on complexity of structure. 

 Ashford, Jan. 4, 1834. P. Keith. 



XLV. Correction of an erroneous Statement respecting Mr. 

 Faraday, which is contained in the last Edition of the 

 " Panorama of Torquay" By Octavian Blewitt, Esq. 



To the Editors of the Philosophical Magazine and Journal. 

 Gentlemen, 

 F AM desirous of addressing you on the subject of an er- 

 A roneous statement respecting Mr. Faraday, which is con- 

 tained in a letter addressed to me by Thomas Northmore, 

 Esq., of Exeter, and published in the last edition of my 

 " Panorama of Torquay." It appears that Mr. Northmore 

 published an account of some experiments on the condensa- 

 tion of the gases in Nicholson's Journal for the years 1805-6, 

 vols. xii. xiii. xiv., and supposing that other philosophers had 

 taken advantage of these experiments without acknowledge- 

 ment, he censures in his letter to me, on the Caverns of De- 

 vonshire, the conduct of Sir H. Davy, Mr. Faraday, and 

 several other philosophers for withholding the name of the 

 '.' first discoverer." 



Now, Mr. Faraday has proved to me from the " Quarterly 

 Journal of Science, Literature and the Arts, vol. xvi. 1823," 

 that so far from treating Mr. Northmore with injustice, he 

 has there spoken of his researches in these terms : " The 

 most remarkable and direct experiments I have yet met 'with 

 in the course of my search after such as were connected with the 

 condensation of gases into liquids are a series made by Mr. 



NoiiTHMoiiE, in the years 1805-6 Mr. Northmore' s papers 



may be found in Nicholson's Journal, xii. 368, xiii. 232," &c. 



I lost no time after Mr. Faraday had obligingly pointed 

 out this fact, in acquainting Mr. Northmore with his error, and 

 with the unpleasant position in which he had placed me, an 

 involuntary agent in the transaction. He has expressed his 

 vexation and regret for his ignorance of the circumstance, 

 and has requested me to assure Mr. Faraday how highly he 



