1 837-3 8 - CHEMISTRY, HIS LADY LOVE. 45 



believe you to have more than common charity in such a 

 case as this. Nevertheless, she is descended from a noble 

 and influential family of very ancient origin, which can show 

 incontestible proofs of having flourished in the dark ages, 

 under another title, and which received great additions to 

 its powers and influence, under the reigns of Elizabeth and 

 James I. under the Chancellorship of Lord Bacon. If you 

 wish to see the birth, descent, and fortunes of the family, I 

 would refer you, not to Burke's Peerage, but to the Encyclo- 

 paedia, where, under the article ' Sciences,' you will find a 

 minute history of the family ; and if you ask me which of 

 the daughters has awakened in me such admiration, I reply, 

 the ' Right noble the Science of Chemistry,' who in my eyes 

 is by far the most attractive and interesting of the family. 

 In case a kindly feeling to the writer should incline you to 

 know more of this noble house, and its collateral branches, 

 I would refer you to a work written by a lady, deeply 

 versed in this branch of Heraldry, Mrs. Somerville's ' Con- 

 nexion of the Physical Sciences." 



The winter was a very busy and happy one. Attendance 

 at the laboratory kept him steadily engaged for some hours 

 every day ; and the rest of the time was fully occupied by 

 necessary study. There is a long series of letters addressed 

 at this time to his brother in London, and we shall be mainly 

 indebted to extracts from these for information as to his 

 employments and aspirations. They furnish abundant 

 evidence of great enthusiasm in the study of chemistry. 

 It is interesting to observe how his love for this branch of 

 science steadily increased, the farther his researches were 

 pursued. 



Before quoting from the letters, the following extract may 

 be given from the journal : 



" Saturday, October 2otk. I was agreeably surprised on 



