32 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. II 



sir, he has just gone out." I felt relieved. " Be good 

 enough to give him this letter," and I was hurrying out 

 when a little man in a brown coat came in at the glass 

 door. " Here is Dr. Faraday," said the man, and gave 

 him my letter. He turned to me and courteously in- 

 quired what I wished. " To submit to you that letter, 

 sir, if you are not occupied." " My time is always 

 occupied, sir, but step this way," and he led me into the 

 museum or library, for I forget which it was, only I 

 know there was a glass case against which we leant. He 

 read my letter, did not think my plan would answer. 

 Was I acquainted with mechanism, what we call the laws 

 of motion ? I saw all was up with my poor scheme, so 

 after trying a little to explain, in the course of which I 

 certainly failed in giving him a clear idea of what I 

 would be at, I thanked him for his attention, and went 

 off as dissatisfied as ever. The sense of one part of the 

 conversation I well recollect. He said " that were the 

 perpetual motion possible, it would have occurred spon- 

 taneously in nature, and would have overpowered all 

 other forces," or words to that effect. I did not see the 

 force of this, but did not feel competent enough to discuss 

 the question. 



However, all this exorcised my devil, and he has 

 rarely come to trouble me since. Some future day, 

 perhaps, I may be able to call Faraday's attention more 

 decidedly. Perge modo ! " wie das Gestirn, ohne Hast, 

 ohne East " (Das Gestirn in a midshipman's berth !). 



In other respects also his student's career was a 

 brilliant one. In 1843 he won the first chemical 

 prize, the certificate stating that his " extraordinary 

 diligence and success in the pursuit of this branch of 

 science do him infinite honour." At the same time, 

 he also won the first prize in the class of anatomy 

 and physiology. On the back of Wharton Jones' 



