1819.] the late Mr. Thomas Henry. 167 



anxious desire to fulfil his duties as a member of it. To him, 

 on its being first regularly organized in the wintef of 1781, was 

 confided the office of one of the secretaries. At a subsequent 

 period, he was advanced to the station of Vice-President, and 

 in the year 1807, on the vacancy occasioned by the death of the 

 Rev. George Walker, F.R.S. he received from the Society, and 

 retained during the rest of his fife, the highest dignity which it 

 has to bestow. 



The " Memoirs of Albert de Haller," which were published 

 by Mr. Henry in 1783, and dedicated to this Society, were 

 derived partly from a French Eloge, and partly from information 

 communicated by the late Dr. Foart Simmons. A more com- 

 plete view of the life and acquirements of that extraordinary man 

 might have been collected, at a subsequent period, from other 

 publications of the same kind, which were addressed to different 

 learned societies on the continent. In one respect, Mr. Henry 

 appears to have taken too favourable a view of the character of 

 Haller, in ascribing to him gentleness of disposition ; for that 

 illustrious, and in the main excellent, person, seems to have 

 been a man of quick passions, and not sufficiently reserved in 

 the expression of them ; as may be gathered from his controversy 

 with Dr. Whytt, of Edinburgh. Haller is represented also by 

 his biographer as afflicted with the personal defect of weak eyes; 

 which, from a passage in his Physiology,* appears not to have 

 been correct. " Aquee purse," he says, " qua ab anno setatis 18 

 sola utor, tribuo, quod post tot in fulgido sole susceptos micros- 

 copicos labores, omnibus sen&ihus, etoculis potissimtim,non minus 

 valeam, quam puer valui." 



During the long season of Mr. Henry's activity as a member 

 of this Institution, his communications to it were very frequent. 

 Many of these were intended only to excite an evening's discus- 

 sion, and, having served that purpose, were withdrawn by their 

 author ; but the number is still considerable, which are preserved 

 in the Society's published volumes. As might be expected, 

 they are of various degrees of merit, but there are among them 

 two papers, which have contributed greatly to his reputation as 

 a chemical philosopher. f 



* Tom. vi. p. 240, edit. 2. Lausannse. 



+ The following is a list of Mr. Henry's papers that are dispersed through the 

 printed Memoirs of this Society. 



In vol. i. (I.) An Essay on the Advantages of Literature and Philosophy in 

 general, and especially on the Consistency of Literary and Philosophical with 

 Commercial Pursuits. 



(2.) On the Preservation of Sea Water from Putrefaction by Means of Quick- 

 lime. 



(3.) On the Natural History and Origin of Magnesian Earth, particularly as 

 connected with those of Sea Sale and Nitre, with Observations on some Ota inical 

 Properties of that Earth, which have been hitherto unknown or undetermined. 



In vol. ii. (1.) Experiments on Ferments and Fermentation, by which a Mode 

 of exciting Fermentation in Malt Liquors, without the Aid of Yeast, is pointed 

 •ut ; w ith an Attempt to form a new Theory of that Process. 



7 



