Sir feumpbrg Barx? 



335 



The municipality of Geneva granted him a public 

 funeral, and every scientific institution in the world paid 

 its eloquent tribute to the genius of the greatest chemist 

 of his age. His great contemporary Cuvier, the foremost 

 naturalist of his day, assigned him the first place among 

 the scientific discoverers of his time. His successor as 

 President of the Royal Society pronounced him to have 

 been " not only one of the greatest but one of the most 

 benevolent and amiable of men." 



Of his popularity among the common people and 

 the respect in which they held him Lord Brougham 

 gives the following singular illustration. Returning 

 home one evening, he observed an ordinary man 

 showing the moon and a planet through a telescope 

 placed upon the pavement. He went up and paid his 

 pence for a look. But no such thing would they 

 permit. " That's Sir Humphry " ran among the people ; 

 and the exhibitor, returning his money, said, with an 

 important air which exceedingly delighted Davy, that 

 " he could not think of taking anything from a brother- 

 philosopher." 



But whilst Science claims the largest share in the fame 

 of her brilliant son, Sport had at least an equal share in 

 his affection. The happiest hours of his life were those 

 passed with rod and gun. His love of fishing and shoot- 

 ing remained unabated till his last hour. In the pursuit 

 of these sports he showed the same zeal, energy, and 

 thirst for investigation which characterised his career as 

 a scientific discoverer. He set himself as seriously to 

 master the art of angling as to explore the secrets of 

 chemistry. He studied the habits of birds and fish as 



