THE GREAT LONDON CHEMISTS 59 



Aberdeen. And in 1830, he succeeded Ure, the author 

 of the Dictionary of Chemistry, as professor in 'The 

 Andersonian University/ an institution which had been 

 founded in rivalry to the University of Glasgow, towards 

 the end of the eighteenth century. 



In 1837, Edward Turner, the Professor of Chemistry 

 at the then newly founded University of London, now 

 University College, died ; and Graham was chosen from 

 among many candidates as his successor. He was much 

 elated at the change, and in a letter to my grandmother 

 (for he was an intimate friend of the family), he tells 

 her that he has suddenly risen to affluence, being in 

 receipt of the fees of no fewer than 400 students who 

 attended his lectures ! 



Graham was neither a fluent nor an elegant lecturer ; 

 but his accuracy, his conscientiousness, the philosophical 

 method in which he treated his subject, and his en- 

 thusiasm for his science are said to have proved very 

 attractive to his audience, and without doubt contributed 

 to fill his classroom. The same characteristics are to be 

 noted in his textbook, which I venture to think is the 

 best textbook on chemistry ever written, although it is 

 now completely out of date. No longer republished in 

 English, it still survives in Germany, under the name 

 of ' Graham-Otto.' 



Until 1854, Graham retained his Chair at University 

 College ; but in that year, Sir John Herschel resigned his 

 office as Master of the Mint, and Graham was chosen to 

 occupy that position, held by so many men of eminence, 

 foremost among whom was Sir Isaac Newton. During 

 his tenure of the office, Graham's conscientiousness proved 

 a sore thorn in the side of the minor officials ; and he had 

 a hard struggle to introduce necessary reforms. His 

 strength of character, however, stood him in good stead ; 

 and after some years of active combat, he left the field 



