DAVY. 45 



and in the following year Humphry was apprenticed to Mr. Bingham 

 Borlace, a gentleman at that time practising as surgeon-apothecary 

 in Penzance. While yet very young, Davy had exhibited traces of 

 an ardent and inquisitive mind, displaying also a great predilection 

 for poetry ; but from this period he directed his attention more par- 

 ticularly to the study of chemistry and natural philosophy His 

 efforts at attaining an experimental knowledge of the above sciences 

 were, however, greatly retarded by the defects of his apparatus, 

 which was necessarily very limited, and consisted chiefly of phials, 

 wine-glasses, tobacco-pipes, and earthen crucibles. But about this 

 time he had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of Mr. 

 Davies Giddy Gilbert and Mr. Gregory Watt,* by whose instru- 

 mentality the subject of our memoir was introduced to Dr. Beddoes, 

 who engaged him to superintend a pneumatic medical institution, 

 which that able but eccentric man had just then established at 

 Clifton, for the purpose of trying the effects of gases upon various 

 diseases. This event took place in 1798, Mr. Borlace readily giving 

 up Davy's indenture, which had not as yet expired. During his 

 residence at Clifton, Davy was placed in a sphere where his genius 

 could expand ; he was associated with men engaged in similar 

 pursuits, was provided with suitable apparatus, and enabled to 

 speedily enter upon that brilliant career of discovery which has ren- 

 dered his name illustrious among philosophers. 



Soon after he had removed to the neighbourhood of Bristol, Davy's 

 first published paper, on ' Heat, Light, and Respiration,' appeared in 

 * Beddoes' West Country Contributions.' His earliest scientific dis- 

 covery was the detection of siliceous earth in the epidermis of canes, 

 reeds, and grasses. 



About the same period, he began to investigate the properties of 

 gases, and discovered the respirability of nitrous oxide, giving in a 

 letter to his friend Mr. Davies Gilbert (dated April 16, 1799), the 

 first intimation of the intoxicating qualities of that gas. Shortly 

 afterwards he examined its properties more accurately, administer- 

 ing it to various individuals, and published an account of his dis- 

 coveries in a volume entitled ' Researches Chemical and Philosophical 

 chiefly concerning Nitrous Oxide and its Respiration.' While the 

 favourable impression from this publication was still fresh on the 

 public mind, the establishment of the Royal Institution, under the 

 auspices of Count Rumford, had taken place, and a lecturer of talent 

 was wanting, to fill the chemical chair. Through the recommenda- 

 tion of Dr. Hope of Edinburgh, with whom he had become acquainted 

 Davy received the appointment, and became lecturer to the institu- 

 tion and director of the laboratory. 



It is a singular fact, that although Davy's attention had never 

 been confined to his favourite science, for he had studied general 

 literature as well as poetry, yet he was of so uncouth an exterior 

 * Youngest son of James Watt, 



