[From Nature, Vol. vin.] 

 LXI. Faraday. 



[Michael Faraday, born September 22, 1791, died August 25, 1867.] 



WITH this number of Nature we present to our subscribers the first of 

 what we hope will be a long series of Portraits of Eminent Men of Science. 



This first portrait is one of Faraday, engraved on steel, by Jeens, from a 

 photograph by Watkins. Those who had the happiness of knowing Faraday 

 best will best appreciate the artist's skill he has indeed surpassed himself, for' 

 the engraving is more life-like than the photograph. We could ill spare such 

 a memorial of such a man, one in which all the beautiful simplicity of his 

 life beams upon us. There is no posturing here ! 



There is no need that we should accompany the portrait with a memoir 

 of Faraday. Bence Jones, Tyndall, and Gladstone have already lovingly told the 

 story of the grand and simple life which has shed and will long continue to 

 shed such lustre on English Science, and their books have carried the story 

 home to millions ; nor is there any need that we should state why we have 

 chosen to commence our series with Faraday; everybody will acknowledge the 

 justice of our choice. 



But there is great need just now that some of the lessons to be learnt 

 from Faraday's life should be insisted upon, and we regard it as a fortunate 

 circumstance that we have thus the opportunity of insisting upon them while 

 our Scientific Congress is in session, and before the echoes of the Address of 

 the President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science have 

 died away. 



In the first place, then, we regard Faraday at once as the most useful 

 and the most noble type of a scientific man. The nation is bigger and stronger 

 in that Faraday has lived, and the nation would be bigger and stronger still 

 were there more Faraday s among us now. Professor Williamson, in his admirable 



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