Ill 



Huxtable and Mr. Benjamin Abbott ; the first was a medical student, the 

 other, who belonged to the Society of Friends, was employed in a house of 

 business in the city. 



Mr. Hnxtable lent him Parkes's ' Chemistry,' which Faraday bound for 

 him, and the third edition of Thompson's ' Chemistry.' 



Mt. 20 (1812). 



Among the few notes Faraday made of his own life are the following : — 



" During my apprenticeship I had the good fortune, through the 

 kindness of Mr. Dance, who was a customer of my master's shop and 

 also a member of the Royal Institution, to hear four of the last lec- 

 tures of Sir H. Davy in that locality [he always sat in the gallery 

 over the clock]. The dates of these lectures were February 29, March 

 14, April 8 and 10, 1812. Of these I made notes, and then wrote out 

 the lectures in a fuller form, interspersing them with such drawings as I 

 could make. The desire to be engaged in scientific occupation, even 

 though of the lowest kind, induced me, whilst an apprentice, to write, in 

 my ignorance of the world and simplicity of my mind, to Sir Joseph Banks, 

 then President of the Royal Society. Naturally enough, ' No answer,' was 

 the reply left with the porter." 



On Sunday, July 12, 1812, three months before his apprenticeship was 

 over, he wrote the first of a series of letters to his friend Mr. Benjamin 

 Abbott (who was a year and a half younger than himself), from which a 

 full view can be gained of what he was by nature, and what his self-edu- 

 cation at this time had made him. 



" I have lately made a few simple galvanic experiments merely to illus- 

 trate to myself the first principles of the science. I was going to Knight's 

 to obtain some nickel, and bethought me that they had malleable zinc. I 

 inquired and bought some ; have you seen any yet ? The first portion I 

 obtained was in the thinnest pieces possible, — observe, in a flattened state. 

 It was, they iuformed me, thin enough for the electric smoke, or, as I before 

 called it, De Luc's electric column. I obtained it for the purpose of form- 

 ing disks, with which and copper, to make a little battery. The first I com- 

 pleted contained the immense number of seven pair of plates ! ! ! and of 

 the immense size of halfpence !!!!!! I, sir, I, my own self, cut out seven 

 disks of the size of halfpences each ! I, sir, covered them with seven half- 

 pence, and I interposed between seven, or rather six, pieces of paper soaked 

 in a solution of muriate of soda ! ! ! But laugh no longer, dear A., rather 

 wonder at the effects this trivial power produced ; it was sufficient to produce 

 the decomposition of sulphate of magnesia, an effect which extremely sur- 

 prised me." And then he describes how he built up a larger battery, and ob- 

 tained greater and further effects, and reasons on the results, and urges his 

 friend to think of these things, and ie let me, if you please, sir, if you please let 

 me know your opinion." On the Monday he adds a postscript : "I am just 

 now involved in a fit of vexation. I have an excellent prospect before me, 



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