THE 

 AMERICAN 



JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, &c. 



Art. I. — Review of the Scientific Labors and Character of Sir Hum- 

 phry Davy. 



The last number of this Journal contained an obituary notice of 

 Sir Humphry Davy, who closed his extraordinary career, on earth, 

 at Geneva, on the 28th of May last. A character of no ordinary 

 stamp has thus disappeared from our view : one of those meteors, 

 which visit our world at distant intervals, has suddenly withdrawn 

 itself from our firmament. 



No full biography of this great chemist has yet reached us, nor has 

 the writer of this article, enjoyed the happiness of being personally ac- 

 quainted with him. Lideed, we have learned but few particulars of his 

 private history. Rarely, therefore, have we been presented with so 

 fair an opportunity as the present, for estimating the character of an 

 eminent cotemporary from his works alone, or of tracing the march of 

 genius from its own naked monuments. If we have felt a strong admi- 

 ration of Sir Humphry Davy, it has not been because he has enjoyed 

 unbounded popularity, or been crowned with distinguished honors, but 

 because a character in which splendor of genius, and majesty of in- 

 tellect, and greatness of soul, were united, could not be viewed with- 

 out admiration. While, therefore, the opinion we have formed of 

 the character of Davy, remains simply that which his achievements 

 and writings have inspired, unbiased as yet by the portraiture with 

 which perhaps the partial hand of friendship may shortly present us, 

 we hasten to review his scientific life and labors ; — to trace, as we 

 shall of course do, the progress of chemical science for the same pe- 

 riod ; and to learn from so striking an example, both the character- 

 istics of intellectual greatness, and the methods by which the powers 

 of a great mind are most successfully developed and applied. 



Vol. XVII.— No. 2. 1 



