Graduation of Thermometers 99 



than it was in those early days. Though we can walk in 

 sunlight, where our grandfathers had to grope, yet its 

 brightness has sometimes revealed so much that we find it 

 difficult to 'see the wood for the trees/ Over-specialization 

 compels many a man to contract his outlook and to limit 

 his field of work, so that he suffers, often consciously and 

 regretfully, from an atrophy of his sympathies. Science, 

 in fact, to use Huxley's simile, 1 is now in danger of being 

 smothered, like Tarpeia at the gate of the Capitoh'ne fortress, 

 by the gifts which are being heaped upon her, though 

 bestowed by those who truly loved her, and meant, not to 

 requite her faithlessness, but to reward her fidelity. 



1847. At the second meeting of the Club (May 6th) 

 the members (including Sir J. Herschel and General Sabine), 

 discussed the question of the Centigrade scale for ther- 

 mometers. Though they did not pass any resolution, the Club 

 seemed favourable to the decimal system, though its intro- 

 duction into England was felt to be difficult in practice, 

 because of the numerous tables calculated on the Fahrenheit 

 scale, and the more frequent use of ' minus degrees ' appeared 

 to be a real objection to the Centigrade graduation. On 

 this account, it was suggested that a new graduation 

 with the lowest degree of natural cold as its zero would 

 be preferable, but that at any rate the authors of papers 

 would do well, when referring to temperature, to insert 

 both scales. 



Mr. Wheatstone, at the third meeting of the Club (June 

 3rd), produced a "collection of curious letters from Franklin, 

 Priestley, and others relating to the early history of the 

 Royal Society." One, written by the first-named to ' Mr. 

 John Canton of Spital Square, Bishopsgate Street/ about a 

 proposal to award the Copley Medal to Priestley, is copied. 2 



1 Address on retiring from the Presidency of the Royal Societ> . 



* Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). The 

 latter began his researches in electricity in 1746. which led to his election 

 as F.R.S. in 1753 and the award of the Copley Medal. Four years later, 

 an important political mission brought him to England, where he remained 

 for five years. That medal was received by J. Canton, also a distinguished 

 electrician, in 1751 and 1764. 



