1807. ^T. 29.] PROFESSOR DAVY. . 341 



at the same time he founded with the interest a medal, 

 of 1201. value yearly, for the best experiment on the 

 galvanic fluid. This medal for the year 1807 was 

 given to Davy for this paper, which was then printed. 

 Davy wrote to Mr. Poole, ' Some people say I 

 ought not to accept this prize, and there have been 

 foolish paragraphs in the papers to that effect ; but if 

 the two countries or governments are at war, the men 

 of science are not. That would indeed be a civil war 

 of the worst description ; we should rather, through the 

 instrumentality of men of science, soften the asperities 

 of national hostility.' 



On January 22, 1807, Davy was elected secretary of 

 the Royal Society. 



Dr. Young wrote to a friend : 



I believe your pheasants have assisted in bringing my 

 friend Davy into a hundred a year and the office of secre 

 tary of the Royal Society. It had never occurred to him 

 to offer himself till I suggested it to him one day when he 

 dined with me. The next day he heard of poor Gray's 

 death, and, upon applying to the President, he was, after 

 some deliberation, approved, although another person had 

 before been encouraged. If I had not been a member of an 

 illiberal profession I should have liked the situation myself, 

 but perhaps the public is right in discouraging a divided 

 attention. 



At the end of August Davy wrote to Mr. Poole : 



I am obliged to be in the neighbourhood of town during 

 the greater part of the summer for the purpose of correct- 

 ing the proofs for the ' Philosophical Transactions.' 



If Coleridge is still with you, be kind enough to Eay to 

 him that I wrote nearly a week ago two letters about 



