Life of Count Rumf^rd. 201 



manner of performing any operation, however simple it 

 may be, to which people have not been accustomed/' 



T.his was incident to the writer's purpose, to make 

 himself intelligible and to communicate his views, when 

 they were far from being the commonplaces of knowl- 

 edge, to persons of ordinary capacity. These Essays, 

 which have strangely dropped out of common apprecia- 

 tion during the last two generations, are to be regarded 

 as the fruits of the author's period of rest after ten years 

 of arduous and manifold labor in Bavaria and the Pa- 

 latinate. The first five of them were written out in 

 Munich, in the main as they were first published in 

 London, some additional notes and tables being added 

 in subsequent editions. 



Rumford left Munich on his return to London, after 

 an absence of eleven years, in September, 1795. The 

 principal object of his visit was, as has been said, that 

 he might publish his Essays. But he had another 

 leading end in view. He had many warm friends and 

 admirers as well as scientific correspondents in England, 

 with whom he had kept up constant intercourse, com- 

 municating his experiments, as we have seen, to the 

 Royal Society, his membership of which always en- 

 listed his pride and obligation of constant service. 

 Undoubtedly, too, could he have had equal considera- 

 tion in England, and have felt that he was as highly 

 appreciated there for official dignity, if not with social 

 rank, he would have preferred a residence in it. He 

 sought, in this visit, to draw the attention of the Eng- 

 lish nation to the measures of public and domestic 

 economy which he had conceived and realized in Ger- 

 many. Unfortunately, on his arrival he was the victim 

 of an outrage which, besides the grievous loss that it 



