THOMAS ANDREW KNIGHT, ESQ. 23 



produce new investigations. I have often, since I was at 

 Downton, had occasion to check feelings which certainly were 

 too selfish to be indulged in for more than a moment. When 

 I have seen a fine day, and the flies sporting in the sunshine, I 

 have sighed and said, ' What would such a day be worth at 

 Downton ! ' In the first week after I returned, I rejoiced when 

 the wind blew from the east. 



u We were unfortunate in our weather : but to have had a 

 week of fine days, and good fishing, added to our general stock 

 of pleasures whilst we were with you, would have been above 

 the common balance of human enjoyment, and we might have 

 considered ourselves, in the superstitious spirit of the ancients, 

 nimisfortunati. 



" I have been much employed, since my return, in pursuing 

 investigations upon the nature of air and water, and their con- 

 version into each other*. The inquiry becomes more difficult as 

 it becomes more refined ; but I hope to be able to give some 

 decided views upon the subject. Many thanks for the interest 

 you express in my experiments. I am little anxious about 

 speculative opinions, yet I shall omit no explanation that may 

 assist research : facts are what we ought to value, and they must 

 be permanent even among the revolutions of opinion. 



" When the weight of the atmosphere was first proved by the 

 Torricellian experiment, the Italian philosopher was abused, 

 and a thousand false explanations of the barometer given by 

 monks and Jesuits. One never hears now of Father Linus's 

 invisible threads of suspension for the mercury ! the fact 

 belongs to the immutable in natural philosophy. 



" I beg to be remembered very respectfully and kindly to 

 Mrs. Knight, and all the family at Downton. Believe me your 

 goodness and hospitality have not been thrown away upon an 

 ungrateful man. 



" I am, my dear Sir, 



" Very truly, always your obliged, 



"H. DAVY. 



* The results of these experiments will be seen in the Bakerian Lectures of 

 1810. 



