m 



KARAUAY, MICHAKL. 



FARKY, JOHN. 



FARADAY, MICHAEL, one of the most distinguished living 

 cheuiuta and natural philosophers. Ha is one of the numerous 

 rnipl afforded by this country, that the highest genius is not 

 dependent on rank or station, and that, in spite of the almost entire 

 neglect of the cultivation of natural science in our schools and colleges, 

 we can boost of men whose investigations and discoveries are second 

 to none. Mr. Faraday was born in London in 1794, and was the 

 son of a blacksmith. With little preliminary education, he was 

 apprenticed to a bookbinder and stationer named Riebau in Blandford- 

 ttTMt During his apprenticeship he spent his leisure hours in the 

 construction of philosophic*! apparatus, and more especially an 



electrifying machine. 

 to Mr. Dance of Ma 



Thisi 

 sbeate 



i the occasion of hia being introduced 

 wt, then a member of tbe Royal 



ho, finding the young man interested in science, obtained 

 for him to attend the last four of a course of lectures on 

 chemistry then being delivered by Sir Humphry Davy. The lectures 

 thus attended were not only listened to with delight, but ample notes 

 made and afterwards carefully re-written, and Faraday, as he has 

 related in a letter to Dr. Paris, the biographer of Dairy, was led by 

 his strong desire to escape from trade, and the kind-heartedness 

 which he fancied he aaw in the lecturer, to take the bold step of 

 writing to Sir H. Davy, expressing bis wishes, and a hope that if an 

 opportunity came in his way ho would favour his views. At the 

 same time Faraday sent the notes he had taken of the lectures. 

 Sir Humphry Davy replied to the young applicant as follows: 

 "December 24th, 1812. Sir, I am far from displeased with the 

 proof you have given me of your confidence, and which displays 

 great zeal, power of memory, and attention. I am obliged to go out 

 of town, and shall not be settled in town till the end of January. I 

 will then see you at any time you wish. It would gratify me to be of 

 any service to you. I wish it may be in my power. I am, Sir, your 

 obedient, humble servant, H. DAVY." "Early in 1813," continues 

 Mr. Faraday, " Sir Humphry requested to see me, and told me of 

 the situation of assistant in the laboratory of the Royal Institution, 

 then just vacant. At the same time that he thus gratified my desires 

 as to scientific employment, he still advised me not to give up the 

 prospects I had before me, telling me that science was a harsh mistress, 

 and in a pecuniary point of view but poorly rewarding those who 

 devoted themselves to her service. He smiled at my notion of the 

 superior moral feelings of philosophic men, and said he would leave 

 me to the experience of a few years to set me right on the matter. 

 Finally, through bis good efforts, I went to the Royal Institution early 

 in March 1813 as assistant in the laboratory ; and in October of the 

 auno year went with him abroad as his assistant in experiments and 

 in writing. I returned with him in April 1815, resumed my station 

 in the Royal Institution, and have, as you know, ever since remained 



;:. P-. ' 



Faraday remained for some years at the Royal Institution without 

 publishing anything to attract general attention. Sir H. Davy had the 

 highest opinion of him ; and all who knew him at this period regarded 

 him as likely to fill the position of that great chemist in the eyes of 

 the world. One of his earliest works was his volume on chemical 

 manipulation, which waa published in 1827, and reached a second 

 edition in 1836. In 1880 be published a paper on the manufacture of 

 glass, and another, in 1831, on acoustical figures. It was, however, in 

 1881 that he commenced the publication of those experimental inves- 

 tigations on the subject of electricity, in the ' Philosophical Transac- 

 tions,' that have made his name famous wherever science is cultivated, 

 or the labours of the investigator of natural laws are appreciated. 

 These papers have been almost regularly published (two in the course 

 of the year) from that time to the present ; and there is not one of 

 them that does not contain either a discovery of importance, or a 

 criticism, arising out of some original discover}-, upon the labours of 

 others. These papers embraced the wide subject of electricity. To 

 ascertain the nature of this force ; to evolve the laws which it obeyed ; 

 to exhibit the modes of its development, and its relations to heat, 

 light, and the other great forces in nature, were the objects of these 

 popers. If Faraday did not discover the science of electro-magnetism, 

 he established its laws, and made the science of magneto-electricity. 

 If the thought that the phenomena of free electricity, galvaniitm, and 

 magnetism, ware the mauife.Utious of the same force, was not origi- 

 nally hia, it has been mainly through his experiments that it has been 

 demonstrated to be true. The science of electricity, comprehending 

 UM great facts of voltaic electricity and magnetism, presents multitudes 

 of bete with the widest generalisation ; and although this science is 

 indebted to a large number of inquirers for its present position, there 

 is one nune that shines more brightly than any other through the 

 whole of theM researcbea, and that is Faraday. 



All his investigations on the phenomena of electricity have been 

 collected togaihw and published in tore* volumes, entitled Experi- 

 mental Researches in Electricity.' The first volume was published in 

 83, and embraced papers published in the ' Philosophical Transac- 

 tions,' from 1831 to 1838. These first papers deal with the pheuomeua 

 of static electricity and the chemical phenomena of voltaic electricity. 

 The Moood volume was published in 1844, and embraces papers from 

 the ' Philosophical Transaction*,' the 'Quarterly Journal of Science,' 

 and th. -Philosophical Uagaxiue,' from 1838 to 1843. It commences 

 with his paper on th electricity of the gymnotus, and with experi- 



mente on electro-magnetism and magneto-electricity. The third 

 volume, published in 1855, embraces papers published from 1846 to 1 852, 

 in the ' Proceedings of the Royal Institution ' and the ' Philosophical 

 Magazine.' This work contains all Faraday's late researches on mag- 

 netism, the discovery of dia-magnetism, and the magnetic nature of 

 oxygen gas, the magnetic nature of light, and other important points. 

 These papers are, some of them, the most remarkable examples of 

 inductive inquiry that have been given to tbe world since the time of 

 Bacon. They deal with forces whose phenomena are exceedingly 

 difficult to investigate, presenting a greater amount of complication 

 than any others in the region of natural science. They present us 

 with instances of the boldest speculation in commencing experiments, 

 combined with the greatest accuracy in conducting them, and the 

 utmost caution in arriving at conclusions. The multitude of experi- 

 ments by which they are illustrated indicate a life of unwearied assi- 

 duity and perseverance in pursuit of the great object of a philosopher's 

 existence a knowledge of the truth. Amidst the absorbing interests 

 of his own experiments and conclusions, he is ever alive to the labour 

 of others, and everywhere betrays the most scrupulous anxiety to give 

 every one bis due share of credit. Iu no philosophic writings do we 

 see less of the author and more of the subject. His object being to get 

 at the truth, he is never wedded to an opinion or conclusion, but is 

 ever ready to give way to the opinion of another, when this is seen to 

 be based on fact. " In short," to use the language of a recent writer, 

 "intellectually and morally, Faraday is a philosopher of the highest 

 rank, of whom the country has just reason to be proud." 



With all these high qualities as an investigator and thinker, Faraday 

 has the most happy power of expression. He is the prince of popular 

 lecturers ; and the most popular singers and actors ore deserted when 

 Faraday delivers a lecture on Friday evenings, at the Royal Institu- 

 tion. It is here the philosopher is seen in his glory ; as absorbed and 

 earnest as a child over his toys, he repeats again his experiments 

 before an admiring audience, none, perhaps, so absorbed in the lecture 

 as he is in the subject of his discourse. His lectures to children are, 

 perhaps, the most perfect expressions of bis own genius, and the most 

 complete examples of extemporaneous teaching. Their merit does not 

 however consist alone iu the grace and ease of his expression, but in 

 the marvellous facility he possesses of experimenting at the same time 

 that he is facing This facility in experimenting is evidently the gift. 

 of genius, and a part of those admirable natural endowment which 

 have made him the great philosopher he is. 



In private life, Mr. Faraday is admired for the simplicity, truthful- 

 ness, and kindness of bis character. Averse to strife and tbe gaze of 

 tbe world, he has refused all offers of place and honour. He has felt 

 that the sphere of bis mission lay in the development of those disco- 

 veries which were fin>t made in the laboratory of the Itoyal Institu- 

 tion, This spot witnessed his first triumph, und there he still 

 remains, to win fresh laurels on those fields of science where ho has 

 no equal. 



FAREY, JOHN, civil engineer and draughtsman, was born at 

 Lambeth on March 20, 17'Jl, and was educated at Woburn, where his 

 father was agent to the Duke of Bedford, who took much interest in 

 the progress of agriculture. John Farey, Senior, was frequently 

 employed in making reports on geological questions; wrote a 'General 

 View of the Agriculture and Minerals of Derbyshire,' &c., (2 vol.". Svo, 

 London, 1811,) a work which had some reputation, and contributed 

 to tbe ' Agricultural Magazine.' Farey, junior with hia brother and 

 sisters, becoming at an early age attached to kindred pursuits was 

 engaged in making drawings for tbe plates of ' Reea'a Encyclopedia,' 

 ' The Edinburgh Encyclopedia,' ' Tilloch's Magazine,' ' Gregory's 

 Mechanics,' and ' Mechanical Dictionary,' the ' Pantulogia,' and many 

 other publications, some of which he contributed articles to, or 

 edited. To him, in conjunction with the Messrs. Lowry, the en- 

 gravers, has been ascribed in a great degree, tbe merit of introducing 

 a better explanatory style of illustration in scientific works, and 

 which has not since been improved upon in the bulk of publica- 

 tions, in a ratio commensurate with mechanical facilities. His 

 avocations connected him with eminent scientific men of the 

 time; and thus with Huddort, Jessop, Mylue, and Rennie, he was 

 engaged in the publication of Smeatou's reports and drawings. In 

 1SU7 ho had received tbe silver medal of the .Society of Arts for an 

 instrument for making perspective drawings, described in their 

 Transactions; and iu 1S13 the gold medal was awarded to him on 

 tbe invention of his machine for drawing ellipses. This last he after- 

 wards improved upon, besides effecting many improvements in the 

 scales and drawing instruments now in nee. In 1811) he went to 

 Russia, and was engaged in tbe construction of iron-works. In Russia 

 he first saw a steam-engine indicator an instrument which it was 

 attempted to keep secret and on his return he bad similar con- 

 trivances manufactured, and was often employed to use them in 

 disputed cases. In 1821 he resigned his professional engagements iu 

 favour of his brother, and embarked in a lace manufactory in Devon- 

 shire, but gave that up in 1U23. In 1825 he took the engineering 

 direction of flax-mills at Leeds; but in 1826, on the failure of his 

 brother's bealtb, be returned to London, and from that time to near 

 his death, which took place in his sixty-first year, on the 17th of July 

 1851, he was employed as a consulting engineer, or referee, in most 

 of the novel inventions and litigated patent cases, during the quarter 



