280 Presidentship of Sir Humphry Davy 1823 



for some months in the summer of this year. He had been 

 elected into the Royal Society in 1821, and advantage was 

 taken of this visit to England to have his signature entered 

 in the Society's Charter-book. He dined six times with 

 the Club, being successively the guest of Humphry Davy, 

 Wollaston, Babbage and Kater. The last of these dinners 

 (July 31) was attended only by Oersted, Babbage and 

 Herschel, with the last-named as chairman. 



On June I2th Mr. Children introduced as his guest 

 " M. de Beaumont/' It is fairly certain that this was 

 the illustrious lie de Beaumont, who for some forty years 

 stood at the head of French geologists and, as the successor 

 of Arago in the secretaryship of the Academic des Sciences, 

 was closely connected with the progress of science in France. 

 At the time of this visit to England he was only five-and- 

 twenty, and having completed his studies at the cole des 

 Mines was now sent with Dufrenoy under the direction of 

 Brochant de Villiers to make a report on the mineral in- 

 dustries of England and Scotland. This report, one of his 

 earliest papers, appeared in 1827 as a " Voyage Metallurgique 

 en Angleterre." 



The " M. Brochant " who dined at the same time with 

 the young geologist as the guest of Sir Everard Home was 

 no doubt the Brochant de Villiers just referred to. He was 

 then about fifty, and it was in his capacity not merely of 

 Professor of Geology, but of Inspector-general of Mines, that 

 he had been sent by his Government on this mission of 

 enquiry. It may be presumed that he came to Britain in 

 order to make the necessary arrangements with the autho- 

 rities in this country and start Elie de Beaumont and his 

 colleague Dufrenoy on their enquiries. In later years these 

 two associates produced after years of labour a magnificent 

 geological map of France. Other foreigners have not been 

 identified. Thus, on March 6th Mr. Children introduced 

 Prince Cimetili ; the week following Dr. Wollaston brought 

 M. Nordenskjold ; in October Mr. Colebrooke twice invited 

 M. Schlegel, and on December 4 the President had as his 

 guest Count Rudolph. 



