1807 Thomas Young 227 



at Egyptian hieroglyphics and to discover the key to their 

 interpretation. Helmholz has recorded of him that " he 

 had the misfortune to be too greatly superior in sagacity 

 to his contemporaries. They gazed at him with astonish- 

 ment, but they could not always follow the bold flights 

 of his intellect, and thus a multitude of his most important 

 ideas lay buried and forgotten in the great tomes of the 

 Royal Society of London, until a later generation re-made 

 his discoveries, and convinced itself of the accuracy and 

 force of his inferences." With all this weight of learning 

 and this wide range of scientific and literary activity Dr. 

 Young preserved his youthful simplicity and gaiety of 

 manner. Sir Henry Holland has left an interesting picture 

 of this side of his nature. " His profound and very varied 

 knowledge was concealed under a certain spruceness of dress, 

 demeanour and voice, which strangely contradicted his 

 Quaker origin, and perplexed those who had known him 

 only from his scientific fame. I have seen the discoverer 

 of some of the grandest and most occult laws of Light, 

 loitering with ladies in a fashionable shop in Bond Street, 

 helping them in the choice of ribbons and other millinery. 

 But what might be deemed affectation was in Dr. Young not 

 really such, but genuine courtesy and kindness of heart." l 



This genial and gifted philosopher was chosen by the 

 Royal Society in 1804 to be its Foreign Secretary, but he 

 did not at once join the Club. 



Dr. Maskelyne brought this year some young men of 

 science to the Club who became famous in later years. 

 On 8th May he introduced his friend John Pond, who in a 

 few years succeeded him as Astronomer Royal and also 

 as an ex officio member of the Royal Society Club, of whom 

 more will be said on a later page. On the 4th of June 

 Maskelyne had as his guests two Scotsmen destined to attain 

 a high position in physical science David Brewster and 

 John Leslie. 



Brewster was at this time only six-and-twenty and had 

 not begun that scientific life which raised him into eminence. 



1 Recollections of Past Life, 2nd Edit. p. 214. 



