HO MARRIAGE. 



In this letter it may be assumed that Sir William 

 Thomson does not include himself as amongst the then 

 scientific chiefs (although it is hard to believe he was not) 

 who withheld their adhesion for many years, but he is 

 careful not to say to what extent he at once followed Joule. 

 This, however, he has clearly shown by his writings. He 

 accepted the results of Joule's experiments on the heat 

 produced by fluid friction as proved ; but he did not for 

 two years follow Joule in the general significance which 

 Joule attached to them. The principle of Carnot stood in 

 his way : he could not reconcile this with the general view 

 of the reciprocal convertibility of heat and work, and until 

 he had done so he could not pass it by. Sir William 

 Thomson had only as yet realised one of Joule's results, 

 and during the two years of doubt he was working back- 

 wards along the path which Joule had trodden until he had 

 mastered the whole of Joule's work, and then he not only 

 realised the revelation which Joule had made but received 

 his own inspiration of the general physical significance of 

 Carnot's theory and the underlying principle of dissipation 

 of energy. 



From these quotations it is clear that both Sir William 

 Thomson and Joule could look back to the occasion of their 

 meeting as an extremely happy one. 



To Joule it was one of the happiest circumstances of 

 his life as well as having most important influences on the 

 recognition of his work. 



In June, 1847, James Prescot Joule was married to 

 Amelia, daughter of Mr. John Grimes, Comptroller of 

 Customs, Liverpool, at St. Peter's Church, Rock Ferry, 

 Higher Bebington, by the Rev. Thomas Fisher Redhed, 

 incumbent, Mr. Dawson giving away the bride. The bride 



