260 Life of Count Rumford. 



Among the same files from which the above docu- 

 ments are copied, are papers relating to several applica- 

 tions made by themselves, or by friends in behalf of 

 those who either sought aid from the fund in pursuing 

 their experiments, or advanced a claim for discoveries 

 or improvements of a sort to entitle them to the award 

 of the medal. And here, departing from the order of 

 time as regards events in the life of Count Rumford, it 

 may be allowable, as it is convenient, to trace the his- 

 tory of the administration of the trust for the premium 

 or medal by the Academy. While the Royal Society 

 had the whole Continent and all the Islands of Europe 

 as a field for selecting the recipients of its biennial 

 award of the Rumford medals from among those numer- 

 ous savans who by their researches and discoveries 

 should reach results entitling them to the honor, the 

 Academy, with larger space, indeed, for its oversight, 

 was at a manifest disadvantage as regarded the likeli- 

 hood of finding once in each period of two years a 

 subject of the same award. At first thought it may 

 seem to one who has not thoroughly and with broad 

 and full information considered the facts of the case, 

 that the Academy has been too exacting in the condi- 

 tions which it has set and applied in administering its 

 trust, and that it has had in view a requisition of scien- 

 tific discoveries in reference to heat and light of such 

 signal and conspicuous character as can but very rarely 

 reveal themselves, even in the steadily progressive course 

 of experimental philosophy. And then, having before 

 us in contrast the eminently practical and economical, 

 we may even say thrifty and homely, nature and utility 

 of Count Rumford's own inventions, methods, and 

 appliances, another suggestion might naturally present 



