PEIESTLEY 57 



suffering and injustice, he left his native land " without 

 resentment or ill-will," knowing too well that the time 

 would come when Englishmen would do him justice. He 

 died on 6th February 1804, and lies buried near his 

 new home. 



If Priestley could have seen that his friend Lavoisier 

 and Bailly (the astronomer) would be sent to the guillotine, 

 he would have modified his views of the liberty, fraternity, 

 and humanity of the French Revolutionists. Priestley 

 received 2000 to atone for mob violence the Birming- 

 ham revolution of three days ; for poor Lavoisier and 

 Bailly the only compensation is the sorrow of all intel- 

 lectual men and women. 



In the end, Priestley's political and theological hetero- 

 doxy helped to make England what it is. He was scorned 

 in England, honoured in France, and found peace in 

 America. Posthumous honours have been instituted to 

 his memory. A statue at Birmingham, representing 

 him in the act of decomposing red precipitate, was erected 

 in front of the Town Hall ; another at Leeds ; a chemical 

 scholarship bearing his name is awarded by the Birming- 

 ham University ; and a beautiful fresco on the walls of 

 the Birmingham Town Hall represents him entering a 

 coach in order to place himself and family out of reach 

 of the infuriated mob, egged on to do their nefarious 

 work of destruction by political and religious foes. 



Some idea may be formed of the vastness of Priestley's 



