Life of Count Rumford. 625 



with which he was making a series of experiments on the rela- 

 tive conducting powers of different solid bodies for heat, and 

 which death prevented his completing, is of the greatest beauty. 

 It consists of a cylindrical vessel of cork (which is a perfect 

 non-conductor of heat), in the centre of the bottom of which the 

 small solid cylinder of the substance to be experimented upon 

 is fitted into an aperture of exactly the same diameter as the 

 cylindrical vessel, which is then filled with water, and heat 

 from the flame of a spirit-lamp is applied to the lower extremity 

 of the substance ; the time the heat takes to pass through and 

 raise the temperature of the water indicates the relative con- 

 ducting powers of the different substances through which it is 

 made to pass. He has repeatedly declared to me it was his 

 decided opinion that heat and light were the result of vibrations 

 in bodies, and were not bodies themselves. He had lately 

 brought to the greatest perfection a lamp for burning spirits of 

 wine, and by which all explosion was rendered impossible. 

 This in France is of the greatest convenience, where, from the 

 low price of alcohol, it is nearly as economical as any other fuel 

 for heating water. 



41 The Count met with considerable plague in his pursuits 

 from the malignant disposition and jealousies of his fellow- 

 members of the National Institute, in consequence of having 

 differed in opinion on capillary attraction from their despotic 

 leader, Laplace. He often used to exclaim that no one who had 

 not lived a considerable time in France could imagine how con- 

 temptible a nation they are, and how void of honor and even 

 honesty. Whenever he ordered any instrument at a mathe- 

 matical instrument-maker's, a similar one was instantly made 

 for some one of the Great Nation, though of the intended use 

 they were at the moment ignorant ; but the hope of supplanting 

 a foreigner and of arrogating to themselves a discovery (a com- 

 mon practice with them) incited them to adopt this dishonorable 

 practice. This forced him to send for a workman from Ger- 

 many, whom he constantly employed, and who lived in his 

 house. I was one day with the Count at a sitting of the first 

 class of the Institute, when we heard one of the leading mem- 

 40 



