THE GASES OF THE ATMOSPHEEE 133 



paper could be read to the Royal Society. No time was 

 being lost. 



On the 14th November Ramsay wrote to his wife : 



" To-day I tried platinum black on the gas, but no result as 

 usual. Yesterday sodium dioxide, again fruitlessly. To-morrow 

 Lord R-ayleigh is coming to see me in the morning and I am going 

 to show him the circulation. I also tried to liquefy the gas to-day ; 

 but the barometer is very low and it is difficult to make liquid 

 nitrous oxide. . . . However, there was no sign of liquefaction." 



On the 16th November : 



" I had Lord Rayleigh with me from 11 to 3 yesterday and to 

 lunch. He was much interested, and saw that my plan beats 

 his hollow. I showed him an absorption going on. To-morrow 

 I am going to show it to my class. I believe there is to be a 

 crowd. That is not publishing, and I think that one's students 

 deserve the first of anything." 



On the 17th November : 



" The gas is lying quiet just now. I am recirculating my 

 whole stock and working up a new lot. To-day I made it at the 

 lecture, about 70 c.cs., say a small wine-glassful. That too has 

 joined the common stock. Matthews has stayed all afternoon 

 looking after it. By Monday it will be pure. And then there is 

 a lot to do with it." 



The letters which passed between the two experi- 

 menters, often more frequently than once a week, show 

 how anxiously and assiduously they were following up 

 the investigation. The spectra of many samples of the 

 gas were also being examined by Mr. Crookes and 

 Professor Schuster, and the behaviour of the gas at low 



