1807.] THE ROYAL INSTITUTION. 279 



chemical action was caused by electricity. He received 

 no praise as the founder of chemical electricity, but he 

 was looked on as the discoverer of electro-chemistry 

 that is, of the theory that the electrical condition or 

 polarity of each element determined its chemical 

 action. 



The following year (1807) is still more memorable 

 in the annals of the Institution on account of the 

 originality of the discoveries made in the laboratory. 

 No year in the life of the Institution has equalled 

 this in the magic novelty of the results that were 

 obtained. Davy (set. 28) proved that the bases of the 

 alkalies were solid metals. He called them potassium 

 and sodium, and he showed that they made potass 

 and soda when united with oxygen. 



The year 1831 was a noble year for the Royal Institu- 

 tion. In it Faraday (aet. 40) discovered that the magnet 

 produced electricity and founded magneto-electricity. 



Great discoveries in different sciences made at differ- 

 ent periods do not admit of any accurate comparison. It 

 may, however, be said that in unimagined novelty the 

 results of Davy far surpassed the results of Faraday ; 

 for the discovery of magneto-electricity had been fore- 

 shadowed by the discovery of electro-magnetism ; but 

 in its telegraphic and other applications the discovery 

 of magneto-electricity will keep the name of Faraday 

 for ever in the remembrance of the world. 



How much the prosperity of the Institution depended 

 upon Davy was made very evident by his illness, which 

 occurred soon after his discoveries were made. In the 

 early part of the year the managers had not recognised 



