Ikfnss ot tbe 1ftot>, IRifle, anb (Bun 



I remember witnessing, upon one of these occasions, 

 a very amusing scene, which may be related as illustrative 

 of some peculiarities of his temper. I believe all those 

 who have accompanied Davy in his fishing excursions, 

 will allow that no sportsman was ever more ambitious to 

 appear skilful and lucky. Nothing irritated him so much 

 as to find that his companions had caught more fish 

 than himself; and if, during conversation, a brother 

 fisherman surpassed him in the relation of his success, he 

 betrayed similar impatience. 



There happened to be present on the occasion to 

 which I allude, a skilful angler, and an enterprising 

 chemist. The latter commenced on some subject con- 

 nected with his favourite science ; but Davy, who 

 generally speaking, disliked to make it a subject of 

 conversation, suddenly turned to the angler, and related 

 what he considered a very surprising instance of his 

 success : his sporting friend, however, mortified him by 

 the relation of a still more marvellous anecdote ; upon 

 which Davy as quickly returned to the chemist, who, in 

 turn, again sent him back to the angler : and thus did 

 he appear to endure the unhappy fate of the flying fish, 

 who no sooner escapes from an enemy in the regions of 

 air, than he is pursued by one equally rapacious in the 

 waters." 



Meanwhile honours had been falling fast and thick 

 upon the brilliant young chemist. He had been elected 

 a Fellow of the Royal Society at the age of four-and- 

 twenty, the Institute of France had awarded him 

 the First Consul's Prize of 3,000 francs for "the 

 experiment most conducive to the progress of science/' 



