34 DIARY. [1832. 



the laws of the radiation of heat. Found E. T. and E. G-. at 

 home ; the latter favoured us with several songs. Remained some 

 time in my laboratory to prepare some apparatus ; afterwards I 

 played two games at draughts, &c. . . . 



6. . . . Called at York Street to order an air-pump and sex- 

 tant, the former second-hand. . . . 



15. . . . Arranged my blow-pipe. Went to church. Uncle 

 John called, . . . likewise J. Noble. I made two differential 

 thermometers and several other [things] before dinner. After 

 dinner we had reading and singing, 'both of which I avoided. I 

 shirked to bed at J-past 10. 



21. ... I wrote some verses, No. 6, for Maria or Louisa 

 neither would accept them. Spent the evening in my rooms ; 

 filled the eudiometer with oxygen, and made several jars of 

 hydrogen, and likewise an eudiometer, 1 &c. 



22. Made a siphon during the evening (had seen Dr Mitchell's 2 

 fossils in the morning). 



23. Went to an " at home " at Miss Gordon's [school]. . . . 

 After supper I prepared a few jars of oxygen and hydrogen, with 

 which I gave a lecture on the principal characteristics ; and 

 likewise a few striking examples of chemical affinity. The ex- 

 periments went off well, and I believe pleased. 



26. Called on E. Evans, giving him two small bell-jars of my 

 making. E. lent me his galvanic trough. ... I remained until 

 12, making an eudiometer, differential thermometer, &c. 



29. . . . After dinner I made some laughing-gas at T. W.'s 

 earnest solicitation. It made me very obstreperous, but had 

 little effect upon Tom or Edward. 



31. . . . Made a gold-leaf electroscope. 



Feb. 1. I spent the evening in my rooms. . . . Burnt my 

 fingers badly. 



1 An instrument for the volumetric measurement of gases. 



2 James Mitchell, LL.D., F.G.S. ; born 1785, died in 1844. A zealous 

 worker on the geology of the London area, and an early friend of Prest- 

 wich's. Mitchell's observations on the strata and wells around London 

 were carefully recorded in five MS. folio volumes, and these were deposited 

 by Prestwich, in 1889, in the library of the Geological Society of London. 

 There is no doubt that Prestwich owed much to the help and encourage- 

 ment of Mitchell, as acknowledged by him, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. x. 

 p. 141. 



