CAVENDISH. 445 



which was further increased by a hesitation or difficulty 

 of speech, and a thin shrill voice. He entered diffi- 

 dently into any conversation, and seemed to dislike 

 being spoken to. He would often leave the place 

 where he was addressed, and leave it abruptly, with a 

 kind of cry or ejaculation, as if scared and disturbed. 

 He lived in a house on Clapham Common, and his 

 library, vast in extent, was at another place, because he 

 made it accessible to all, and did not wish to be trou- 

 bled by those who resorted to it. He allowed friends 

 to take books from it, and he himself never took one 

 without giving a receipt for it. On the death of his 

 librarian he began the practice of himself attending one 

 day in the week to give out and take in books. His large 

 income was allowed to accumulate ; and when his bank- 

 ers, after finding that a very considerable balance was 

 always left in their hands, mentioned the circumstance, 

 suggesting that it might be invested to some profit, he 

 answered with much simplicity, that if the balance was 

 an inconvenience to them he could go to another banker. 

 Himself a man of no expense, his habits never varied, 

 nor did his style of living at all suffer a change on suc- 

 ceeding to his uncle's large fortune. His purse was 

 ever accessible to the claims of charity, as well as to pro- 

 posals for the promotion of scientific pursuits. Having 

 formed a high opinion of Dr. (afterwards Sir Charles) 

 Blagden's capacity for science, he settled a consider- 

 able annuity on him, upon condition that he should 

 give up his profession and devote himself to philosophy ; 

 with the former portion of which condition the Doctor 

 complied, devoting himself to the hopeless pursuit of 

 a larger income in the person of Lavoisier's widow, who 



