CHAP. III.] ELECTRO-METALLURGY. 21 



Ten days later the same wrote : 



Should you happen to be this way on Monday forenoon next and 

 would look in, you will find me at work on electrotypes, and might perhaps 

 be able to give me a little practical advice. 



The lecture was delivered at the Koyal Institution on Friday 

 evening, January 22nd; and on the following month, Friday 

 evening, February 26th, 1841, one was delivered by Alfred 

 Srnee ' On the Laws regulating the Voltaic Precipitation of 

 Metals.' The theatre was densely crowded on both occasions, 

 and from letters from members of the Royal Institution and 

 from other sources, it would seem that Mr. Smee's lecture was 

 a great success, as was that of Brande. Previously to this, 

 Mr. Smee had also given a very successful one before the Numis- 

 matic Society, on the 21st of January, 1841. 



In April of the same year my father showed his various 

 specimens of electro-metallurgy to the late Prince Consort, at 

 Buckingham Palace. The Prince was greatly interested with 

 them. A cucumber that my father had coated with copper was 

 shown to her Majesty, and she became so interested with the 

 subject that she broke the casting with her finger, to see if really 

 the cucumber was inside. This coppered cucumber with the hole 

 is still in existence, as well as some of the other first specimens 

 in electro-metallurgy that were made by Alfred Smee. These 

 specimens were also frequently shown at the various great soirees 

 of London. 



Besides the works already described, Alfred Smee had other 

 occupations to engross his time and attention. We find that on 

 the first Thursday in January, 1841, he was elected Surgeon to 

 the Bank of England. This appointment was specially created 

 for him, and for it he was mainly indebted to that eminent 

 surgeon, Sir Astley Cooper. Sir Astley had taken a great 

 interest in the young man, and came several times to the 

 Bank to see his various experiments. Being a friend of the 

 Governor of the Bank, Sir John Kay Keed, Sir Astley Cooper told 

 him to be sure " not to let Mr. Alfred Smee leave the Bank," for, 

 said he, 



You don't know what a treasure you have got in that young man ; 

 he has shown signs of working out problems for himself which will be sure 

 to be useful some time or another. 



I give this conversation as I have been told it by one (not the 

 person interested) who heard it. Evidently Sir Astley Cooper 



