1815.] Sir Benjamin Thompson, Knt. Count Pamford. 243 



as had been expected. Many of the greatest objects of chanty 

 were deterred by a false shame from making application for the 

 soup, because they considered such an application as a declaration of 

 their poverty before the whole town, and as sinking them a step 

 lower in the scale of society. Those who came foiward with the 

 greatest effrontery were sufficiently poor indeed ; but too frequently 

 their characters were not of the i>est stamp, and not a few of them 

 by a vicious course of life had lost that regard for character, and 

 that desire of the good opinion of others, which constitute so im- 

 portant a part of the feelings of the common people in those coun- 

 tries where they have not been vitiated by improper institutions and 

 erroneous laws. Thougii those who had the office of preparing 

 the soup discharged their duty with great fidelity and honour, yet 

 the poor people were not satisfied, but complained loudly against 

 the quality of the soup, and the honesty of the purveyors. 



These two years of scarcity seem to have directed the Count's 

 attention to the art of cooking. Combining his notions of economy, 

 and his opinions respecting heat, he contrived a new cooking appa- 

 ratus by means of steam, which he assured the public was greatly 

 superior in every respect to the old mode. Such was his popularity 

 at that time, that numbers of people adopted his ideas, and fitted 

 up their kitchens according to his models ; but I have not heard 

 that his scheme was found to answer in a single instance. I re- 

 inember going in 1802 to see the Count's own kitchen, which was 

 fitted up according to his own plan, and was at Brompton, or 

 somewhere about Knightsbridge. I was very much surprised to 

 observe that not one of the utensils had ever been put to use. 

 Hence it was likely that his notions of cooking were rather theo- 

 retical than practical. 



He had begun, soon after his arrival in London in 1799, to 

 publish a series of essays in succession on different subjects; but all 

 connected with iiis own favourite pursuits. These essays amount in 

 all to 18 or !<>, constituting two octavo volumes. They were 

 exceedingly popular at their first appearance, and very generally 

 read ; and ihcy contain many valuable facts, put together in a 

 pleasuig and entertaining manner. 



It was at this time that he had influence enough to procure the 

 formation of the Roya! Institution as a school for science in the 

 uretropolis of Great Britain, and a place where models of every 

 kind WLie lo be collected and exhibited. Tiiis Institution has 

 llourished ever since, and ha>J given birth to various others upon a 

 similar plan, botli in London and in other towns of Great Britain 

 and Ireland. 



The uncommon popularity which the Count enjoyed for some 

 ytors seems to have produced a bad effect upon his disposition, or 

 perhaps ratht-r induced bim to display witlujut reserve those dlsposi- 

 tiuiib which he had hitherto been at some pains to conceal, rom- 

 ppsity, and a species of literary arrogance quite unsuitable to tlie 

 iiatuic of experimental philo?ophv, for some years characterized his 



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