H 



NATURE 



[March 3, 1921 



his subsequent action, for an account of which to pieces, but the whole place is filthy." Mr. 

 we must refer to the book itself. Gunther is of opinion that at least one good thing 



Oxford is associated with the discovery of the emerged from the furnaces of the Ashmolean — 

 art of salt-glazing stoneware, due to John Dwight namely, Dr. John Wall, a fellow of Merton, who 

 (1661), of Christ Church. John Ludwell, fellow probably gained there the knowledge of operative 

 of Wadham, about 1670 experimented on the chemistry which enabled him to study the manu- 

 manufacture of glass, which he surmised was a facture of porcelain, and ultimately to found the 

 kind of solution. famous china factory of Worcester. 



With the removal of the members of the Another Dr. ' Wall, known as Martin Wall 

 "philosophical! Clubbe " to London, the pursuit of (1747-1824), a fellow of New College, in 1781 

 experimental inquiry languished and almost died became public reader of chemistry. He, accord- 

 out. The chief glory of Oxford in the 

 years immediately following the Re- 

 storation was John Mayow, fellow of 

 AH Souls, who left the University in 

 1675 and settled at Bath as a 

 physician. He died four years later at 

 the age of thirty-six. On his epoch- 

 making work — his "Tractatus de Re- 

 spiratione," in which he recognised the 

 real nature of atmospheric air, and of 

 the function of one of its constituents 

 in supporting combustion and respira- 

 tion — as also on his subsequent treat- 

 ises in which he further elaborated his 

 practical discovery of oxygen, there is 

 no need to enlarge. Mr. Gunther styles 

 him "the greatest chemist whom 

 Oxford has ever produced." 



The first University chemical labora- 

 tory was established by Elias Ashmole, 

 whose original scheme for the founda- 

 tion of a scientific institution- com- 

 prised an " elaboratory , " as well as a 

 repository for his " raree show " of 

 archaeological curios. The Officina 

 Chymica was housed in the cellar of 

 the building, which was erected in 

 1683, and placed under the charge of 

 Dr. Plot. " Certaine scholars " of the 

 Philosophical Society of Oxford there- 

 upon "went a course of chimistrie " 

 and "had meetings in the large room 

 over the elaboratory Every Friday in 

 the afternoone to talke of Chymicall 

 matters," "their discourses" being 

 "registered down" by Dr. Plot. Plot 

 resigned his office in i68g, and 

 was succeeded by Mr. Edward 

 Hannes, of Christ Church. In 

 1704 Hannes was followed by Dr. 

 John Freind, also of Christ Church, 

 who is described as " well-skill 'd 

 Tn Speculative and Practical Chymistry," and "the 

 first who applied the Newtonian philosophy to 

 chemistry." He was assisted by Richard Frewin, 

 of the same college, and Camden professor of 

 ancient history, who seems to have had charge of 

 the Ashmolean Laboratory. The latter, accord- 

 ing to Uffenbach, the traveller, who visited it m 

 1710, "does not trouble much about it, and the 

 operator, Mr. White (said to be a good-for- 

 nothing man) still less." "Not only are the finest 

 instruments, tiles, and such like, almost all broken 

 NO. 2679, VOL. 107] 



University College. Crosse's. Thiee Tuns. Tillyard's. 



Fig. I. — Site of Boyle's Laboratory. From "Early Science in Oxford. 



ing to our author, taught that chemistry "is an 

 immediate revelation from Heaven to Adam, and 

 had its name from Cham, the progenitor of the 

 Egyptians." "Chymistry " is not only "a piece of 

 knowledge not mis-becoming a gentleman, but 

 it promises to afford a firm and elegant basis for 

 a compleat skill in Natural Philosophy — and cer- 

 tainly will enable any divine in Europe to describe 

 with confidence the operation by which Moses 

 might have reduced the golden calf to powder- 

 to the confusion of Voltaire and all his disciples." 



