124 COUNT EUMFORD. 



The pall of smoke which habitually hung over London, 

 ' covering all its prominent edifices with a dingy and 

 sooty mantle,' curiously and anxiously interested him. 

 He ' saw in that smoke the unused material which was 

 turned equally to waste and made a means of annoyance 

 and insalubrity.' He would bind himself, if the oppor- 

 tunity were allowed him, ' to prove that from the heat, 

 and the material of heat, which were thus wasted, he 

 would cook all the food used in the city, warm every 

 apartment, and perform all the mechanical work done 

 by means of fire.' Under this wasted heat Rumford 

 would doubtless comprise both the imperfectly- con- 

 sumed gases, such as carbonic oxide, and the heated air 

 and other gases discharged by the chimneys. 



There is no doubt that the present age has entered 

 largely into the labours of Rumford. Many of the 

 devices and conveniences now employed in our kitchens 

 owe their origin to him. The practical needs and 

 mechanical ingenuity of his own countrymen have 

 caused them to follow his lead with conspicuous success. 

 We have, for example, in our modest little kitchen in 

 the Alps, an American oven which, with the expenditure 

 of an extremely small amount of firewood, heats our 

 baths, cooks our meat, bakes our bread, boils our clothes, 

 and contributes to the warmth and comfort of the house. 

 This arrangement traces its pedigree to Rumford. 



In 1796 he founded the historic medal which bears 

 his name. On the 12th of July of that year he wrote 

 thus to Sir Joseph Banks, then President of the Royal 

 Society : ' I take the liberty to request that the Royal 

 Society would do me the honour to accept of 1,000Z. 

 stock in the Funds of this country, which I have 

 actually purchased, and which I beg leave to transfer to 

 the President, Council, and Fellows of the Royal Society, 



