FARADAY. 339 



men." He might have written explanations and defences, 

 but he went straighter to the point. He wished to see the 

 principals face to face — to plead his cause before them per- 

 sonally. There is a certain vehemence in his desire to do 

 this. He saw Wollaston, he saw Davy, he saw Warbur- 

 ton ; and I am inclined to think that it was the irresistible 

 candor and truth of character which these viva voce de- 

 fences revealed, as much as the defences themselves, that 

 disarmed resentment at the time. 



As regards Davy, another cause of dissension arose in 

 1823. In the spring of that year Faraday analyzed the 

 hydrate of chlorine, a substance once believed to be the 

 element chlorine, but proved by Davy to be a compound of 

 that element and water. The analysis was looked over bv 

 Dav} r , who then and there suggested to Faraday to heat 

 the hydrate in a closed glass tube. This was done, the 

 substance was decomposed, and one of the products of de- 

 composition was proved by Faraday to be chlorine liquefied 

 by its own pressure. On the day of its discovery he com- 

 municated this result to Dr. Paris. Davy, on being in- 

 formed of it, instantly liquefied another gas in the same 

 way. Having struck thus into Faraday's inquiry, ought he 

 not to have left the matter in Faraday's hands ? I think 

 he ought. But, considering his relation to both Faraday 

 and the hydrate of chlorine, Davy, I submit, may be excused 

 for thinking differently. A father is not always wise enough 

 to see that his son has ceased to be a boy, and estrange- 

 ment on this account is not rare ; nor was Davy wise enough 

 to discern that Faraday had passed the mere assistant 

 stage and become a discoverer. It is now hard to avoid 

 magnifying this error. But had Faraday died or ceased to 

 work at this time, or had his subsequent life been devoted 

 to money-getting instead of to research, would anybody 

 now dream of ascribing jealousy to Davy? Assuredly 

 not. Why should he be jealous ? His reputation at this 



