337 



For the purpose of forming a Horticultural Society at Edin- 

 burgh, a meetins^ of several gentleman was held at the house of 

 Mr. T. Dickson near that city, on thc2oth of Novcnil)er, 1809, 

 and a stillmore numerous meeting occurtd on the 5th of Decem- 

 ber, when the Society was formed ; the Earl of Dalkeith beiug 

 chosen President; Sir J, Hall, Dr. Rutherford, Dr. Coventry 

 and Mr. Hanter, Vice-Presidents, and Mr. W. Nicol and Mr. 

 P. Neil, Secretaries. A general Quarterly Meeting was then 

 determined on the Gth of March, IBIO, on which day the Laws 

 and Regulations of the Society, which had been previously 

 drawn up by a committee, were revised and adopted. Those 



Epoch in Chemistry by the decomposition of the fixed Alkalies Potass and 

 Soda. About the same time he became Secretary to the R. S.^In ISOShe 

 received a prize from the French Institute, an honourable token of merit, 

 bestowed by minds superior to national prejudice; — From this time until the 

 greater part of 1810 was elapsed he was employed in experiments on Oxymu- 

 riatic Acid, the simple nature of which he discovered — At the close of this 

 year he delivered a course of Lectures before the Dublin Society— and in 

 its last month received the honorary degree of L. L. D. from Trinity Col- 

 lege of that City. In 1812 he was united to Mrs. Apreece, widow of S. A. 

 Apreece, Esq. — a lady of talent, amiability, and fortune. A few days pre- 

 viously he was knighted by his present Majesty in his capacity of Regent — In 

 1815 he gave safety to Miners in the Lamp which bears his na'.i.o, his 

 attention being fir'st drawn to the subject by Dr. Gray, a member of a Com- 

 mittee at Sunderland which had been forned for the purpose of enquiring 

 into the causes of the frequent explosions and the means of prevention — 

 The Coal Owners of Tyneand "Wear presented him with a service of Plate 

 worth jp2000 as a token of gratitude and sense of the benefit, lu 1813 he 

 was elected Corresponding Member of the French Institute— rin 1817 one 

 of the eight associates of the Royal Academy — In 1818 he was created a 

 Baronet and during the succeeding years his name has been added to the list 

 of members of mot of the learned bodies of Europe. His travels for the 

 advancement of Science have been to uifierent parts of Europe — to inveftigate 

 the causes of Volcanic Phenomena — to instruct Minef.* in the use of the 

 Safety Lamp — to examine the remains of the Chemical Arts of the Ancients, 

 especially their preparation of colours — and to attempt the unfolding of the 

 llerculanoan MSS. He was employed npon these last at the close of J818 

 and the commencement of 1819. On his return to England in 1820, Sir J. 

 Banks died, and Davy was elected P. K. S. in his place— His friend Dr. 



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