422 Life of Count Rumford. 



in fostering his early ardor for science. During his 

 apprenticeship as a newspaper-boy and a bookbinder, 

 and just as he was reaching manhood, a customer of his 

 master, who was a member of the Institution, gave him 

 tickets to four of the lectures which Davy delivered 

 there early in 1812. Faraday wrote out these lectures 

 from notes which he made of them, illustrated them by 

 drawings of his own, and sent his manuscript to Davy 

 with a letter expressing his desire to escape from trade 

 and engage in scientific pursuits. Davy promptly re- 

 sponded to his confidence, and though he detected signs 

 of fitness for such pursuits in his correspondent advised 

 him not to abandon his trade, as science was a poor 

 paymaster, while at the same time he promised the 

 youth his patronage, and offered to secure to him the 

 bookbinding of the Institution and of his friends. 

 Davy soon after invited Faraday to an interview, at 

 which he offered him the place of assistant in the labora- 

 tory on a salary of twenty-five shillings a week, with 

 two attic rooms. This was in the early part of March, 

 1813. Faraday at once occupied his lodgings in the 

 building, and engaged with devoted industry and zeal in 

 chemical manipulation in the laboratory. He lectured 

 before the Institution for the long period of thirty- 

 eight years, and having, in 1825, been made its Di- 

 rector, is thought by his biographer to have averted its 

 decline or secured its continued existence. It furnished 

 him a home and a sphere for eminent service during 

 more than half a century.* I am not aware that Fara- 

 day ever met with Count Rumford, but think it not at 

 all unlikely that he did so while spending three months 



* Dr. H. Bence Jones, in his "Life and Letters of Faraday" (London, 1870), 

 gives much interesting information about the Institution. 



