48 BIOGRAPHIES OF SCIENTIFIC MEN 



Shelburne. His lordship, however, punctually paid the 

 annuity of 150 a year which he had promised. 



After leaving Lord Shelburne in 1779, Priestley visited 

 London, but ultimately settled in Birmingham, having 

 been appointed Unitarian minister to the Old Meeting 

 Chapel (no longer in existence New Street Station is 

 on the site of Priestley's chapel). At this time he was 

 friendly with Watt, Wedgwood, Boulton, Darwin, the 

 Galtons, and others. Mrs Schimmelpenninck (nee Galton) 

 described Priestley as "a man of admirable simplicity, 

 gentleness, and kindness of heart, united with great acute- 

 ness of intellect." 



He resigned his charge in 1791, when his friends raised a 

 sum annually for him, in order that he might be able to pro- 

 secute his investigations without the necessity of teaching. 

 During this period, although he published a vast amount 

 of chemical work, he could not leave theology, metaphysics, 

 and politics alone. Sympathizing with the Americans 

 in the War of Independence, and afterwards with the 

 French in the Revolution, and his writings and speeches 

 against the Established Church, brought him into con- 

 troversy with the clergy of Birmingham. The controversy 

 was bitter and long. Priestley was regarded as a danger- 

 ous character, an enemy to Church and State, and even 

 Burke (1729-97) spoke against him in the House of 

 Commons. Such was the feeling against dissenters 

 " fomenters of sedition " ; but that is far from being the 



