THE SCOFFER ABROAD 189 



out the idea, and much encouragement was offered by 

 Beddoes's friends. 



In due course of time, applications came to Sir Joseph 

 Banks. In reply to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, 

 who warmly urged the merits of the proposed Pneu- 

 matic Institute, he wrote as follows : 



(November 30, 1794.) " Sir Joseph Banks presents his 

 most respectful compliments to the Duchess of Devon- 

 shire, and begs Her Grace to give him credit when he 

 assures her that he feels infinite regret in not finding 

 himself able to obey Her Grace's commands respecting 

 Dr. Beddoes. Sir Joseph had once his doubts concerning 

 the propriety of his giving public countenance, of any 

 kind, to a man who has openly avowed opinions utterly 

 inimical to the present arrangement of the order of 

 Society in this country ; but the Duchess's better opinion 

 of the Doctor has wholly satisfied him on that head. 

 His doubts are now confined to the Doctor's project of 

 trying the effect of gases upon patients labouring under 

 the consequences of pulmonary disease. On that head, 

 Sir Joseph is of opinion that there is a greater probability 

 of a waste of human health, if not of life, being the conse- 

 quence of the experiment ; than an improvement in the 

 art of Medicine being derived from its results. He cannot 

 therefore, with a safe conscience, give encouragement, 

 either public or private, to an undertaking in his opinion 

 more likely to be attended with mischievous than bene- 

 ficial consequences." 



The lady, in the course of her rejoinder, says that her 

 passion for Natural History, Chemistry, etc., had begun 

 abroad, and she was ignorant of the existence of such 

 a person as Dr. Beddoes until she was recently introduced 

 to him at Bristol. " It was not till some time after that 

 I heard his political opinions had occasioned his leaving 

 Oxford. But I was told, at the same time, that he had 



