LIFE AND LETTERS OF FARADAY 429 



more and more of these sounds, which, though only whis- 

 pers to me, are, I suspect, spoken aloud among scientific 

 men." He might have written explanations and defences, 

 but he went straighter to the point. He wished to see the 

 principals face to face to plead his cause before them 

 personally. There was a certain vehemence in his desire 

 to do this. He saw Wollaston, he saw Davy, he saw 

 Warburton; and I am inclined to think that it was the 

 irresistible candor and truth of character which these 

 viva voce defences revealed, as much as the defences them- 

 selves, that disarmed resentment at the time. 



As regards Davy, another cause of dissension arose in 

 1823. In the spring of that year Faraday analyzed the 

 hydrate of chlorine, a substance once believed to be the 

 element chlorine, but proved by Davy to be a compound 

 of that element and water. The analysis was looked over 

 by Davy, who then and there suggested to Faraday to 

 heat the hydrate in a closed glass tube. This was done, 

 the substance was decomposed, and one of the products 

 of decomposition was proved by Faraday to be chlorine 

 liquefied by its own pressure. On the day of its discov- 

 ery he communicated this result to Dr. Paris. Davy, on 

 being informed of it, instantly liquefied another gas in the 

 same way. Having struck thus into Faraday's inquiry, 

 ought he not to have left the matter in Faraday's hands? 

 I think he ought. But, considering his relation to both 

 Faraday and the hydrate of chlorine, Davy, I submit, may 

 be excused for thinking differently. A father is not al- 

 ways wise enough to see that his son has ceased to be a 

 boy, and estrangement on this account is not rare; nor 

 was Davy wise enough to discern that Faraday had passed 

 the mere assistant stage, and become a discoverer. It is 



