Life of Count Rumford. 241 



Rumford an unrivalled honor for his prose treatment 

 of the created element. There is almost a soaring into 

 the realm of poetry in his references to it. He re- 

 garded it as one of the subjects most engaging for 

 human thought, and in connection with the study of 

 optics, and in applications to artificial inventions for 

 the household, as well as for advancing astronomical sci- 

 ence, as promising steady revelations to reward the 

 search of the philosopher. There was something al- 

 most of an over-trustful confidence in his belief, as- 

 sured to us by the terms of his endowments, that some 

 discovery or improvement would be made in the sub- 

 jects of Light and Heat as often as once in each period 

 of two years for an indefinite future, and that, too, on 

 either hemisphere of the earth, of a nature to justify 

 the award of a valuable gold medal to a long series of 

 prospective benefactors of mankind. Of course his 

 object was to engage special study, and to turn investi- 

 gation and experiment towards those subjects. The 

 medal was to be an honorary recognition, not a pecu- 

 niary reward of success in those branches of science. 

 Yet while Rumford did not forbid that a mere theorizer 

 upon them should be a candidate for his prize, he had 

 in view, as always, what would best " promote the good 

 of mankind." 



His correspondence on his endowments, and a sketch 

 of the administration of them, may properly be intro- 

 duced by the following letter : 



"To SIR JOSEPH BANKS, Bart., K. B., P. R. S., &c., &c., &c. 



"LONDON, I2th July, 1796. 



u SIR, Desirous of contributing efficaciously to the advance- 

 ment of a branch of science which has long employed my at- 

 tention, and which appears to be of the highest importance to 

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