Life of Count Rumford. 629 



wrote and published in the number of his own Journal 

 for April, 1815, " A Biographical Account of Sir Ben- 

 jamin Thompson, Knt., Count Rumford." This ac- 

 count contains several errors, and besides exhibits some 

 tokens of ill-nature and personal jealousy. Speaking 

 of Rumford's zeal and schemes for the public relief in 

 the two years of scarcity, 1799 an< ^ 1800, Dr. Thom- 

 son says : 



" Such was his popularity at that time, that numbers of peo- 

 ple adopted his ideas, and fitted up their kitchens according to 

 his models ; but I have not heard that his scheme was found to 

 answer in a single instance. I remember going in 1802 to'see 

 the Count's own kitchen, which was fitted up according to his 

 own plan. I was very much surprised to observe that not one 

 of the utensils had ever been put to use. Hence it was likely 

 that his notions of cooking were rather theoretical than practical. 

 .... The uncommon popularity which the Count enjoyed for 

 some years seems to have produced a bad effect upon his dis- 

 position, or perhaps rather induced him to display without re- 

 serve those dispositions which he had hitherto been at some 

 pains to conceal. Pomposity, and a species of literary arro- 

 gance quite unsuitable to the nature of experimental philosophy, 

 for some years characterized his writings and injured their 

 value. But in some of the last Essays with which he favored 

 the world we find much valuable and curious information 

 respecting the heat evolved by different combustibles while 

 burning, a subject of great interest, which he prosecuted for 

 many years, and at last elucidated with considerable success. 



"I pass over his quarrel with the managers. of the Royal 

 Institution, about the nature of which I am not fully informed, 

 though I suppose it was an attempt on the part of the Count to 

 retain in his own hands the entire management of that Institu- 

 tion. Be that as it may, the result of the dispute induced him 

 to leave London, to which he never again returned." 



In the sketch which Dr. Thomson proceeds to give 



