the History of Calcescence. 143 



the American has in his possession tools of a superior kind renders 

 his proposal all the more acceptable. The compact being entered 

 into by both on the spot, and in terms more or less precise, the 

 American alleges fatigue, and suggests that they should go to 

 rest. On this invitation they both go to sleep, but the American 

 soon rouses himself and begins to work with all his might while 

 his fellow is asleep. Aided by his superior instruments, the 

 American soon reaches with his tool into a gold-bearing vein ; 

 but at the very instant that he gets the first glimpse of the metal 

 he catches also the open eye of his companion. " I am glad to 

 see you are awake," then observes the American; "just get up 

 and look, here is a pretty large ' nugget/ But don't trouble 

 yourself any further about it. I shall soon bring it myself to the 

 surface, and, of course, you shall have your rights. I intend to 

 state at the mint where I mean to barter this e nugget/ that you 

 were the first (the emigrant had been in fact the only one) to 

 point out this tract as a gold-bearing region,, and that I have 

 appropriated the f nugget ' and c claim ' to myself by your free 

 consent." 



As the position of the emigrant to the American, so was mine 

 to Prof. Tyndall. Tor, as he subsequently informed, me, in the 

 paper in which he intended to publish his results, it was his in- 

 tention to state very fully my relation to it, and to show that I 

 was the first to definitely attack it ; and it was also his intention 

 to mention that it was by my permission he published his expe- 

 riments. 



I, at first, proposed to await the publication of Prof. TyndalFs 

 intended paper, and then to explain the manner of his interfer- 

 ence in public. Wishing to avoid, however, public polemics, 

 upon second thoughts I wrote to Prof. Tyndall a private letter, 

 reminding him of the engagement that subsisted between us, and 

 of all the other things that had passed between us. In reply, 

 Prof. Tyndall asserted that I had declined in April the proposal 

 for joint work he had made to me. With singular delicacy, Prof. 

 Tyndall stated further that his proposal had been made only on 

 the spur of the moment, and also that, by the experiment he had 

 shown me, he had succeeded in " solving '* the question which 

 interested us both. I then wrote again to Prof. Tyndall, stating 

 that, so far from my having declined his proposal in April, I had 

 written and told to several persons that he and I were going to 

 make joint experiments ; I added, however, that, as he now stated 

 that his proposal had been made only upon the spur of the mo- 

 ment, which, I supposed, meant that he had afterwards repented 

 it, I should be sorry to insist upon any specific performance of 

 his part of our agreement. I also observed that, however hopeful 

 the experiment which had been shown me might be, it was as yet 



