146 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



made noonday in the streets. As I had never seen any- 

 thing of the kind before, beyond the small experiments of 

 the scientific laboratory, I asked permission of the head of 

 the establishment to see his apparatus. At first he refused, 

 but when I assured him that I had no manufacturing or 

 trade interests to serve, but only those of science, he con- 

 sented and accompanied me into the cellar. There was 

 nothing in the arrangement different from those now in 

 use, except that they were less perfect. The upper apart- 

 ment being open to the breeze, the numerous long and 

 pointed jets of flame of great brilliancy, waving with every 

 breath of air, seemed as if endowed with animation, and 

 produced an effect almost magical. Fifty years have pro- 

 duced a great change. Now, illumination by gas prevails 

 throughout the civilized world, and its advantages are too 

 obvious to require any illustration. I suppose that the gas- 

 tubes of London those in the houses included must 

 extend several hundred miles. 



Among the advantages which I enjoyed in London, I 

 must not omit the learned societies, The Royal Society, 

 the Antiquarian Society, the Academy of Painting and 

 Sculpture, the Exhibition of Paintings (annual) in Somer- 

 set House, the Royal Institution, Sir Joseph Banks's conver- 

 sazioni at his house, and the British Museum. From all 

 these, some rays of light would shine into the mind of a 

 young stranger seeking knowledge. At the Royal Institu- 

 tion I saw and conversed with Davy in an informal inter- 

 view in his working laboratory. At Sir Joseph Banks's I 

 saw many of the most eminent men of the day. I had 

 daily freedom of access, so far as my time would allow, at 

 Sir Joseph's, where there was always a public breakfast in 

 addition to the soiree. At Sir Joseph's, beside himself 

 and his learned secretary Dr. Solander, I saw Mr. Watt, 

 Major Rennell, Dr. Wollaston, Dr. Tooke, Lord Macartney 

 the ambassador to China, Mr. Cavendish, Dalrymple the 

 marine geographer, Windham the parliamentary orator, 



